مشخصات پژوهش

The electrooxidation of methanol was investigated in acidic media on the platinum-cobalt alloy carbon-ceramic modified electrode (Pt-Co/CCE) via cyclic voltammetric analysis in the mixed 0.5 M methanol and 0.1 M H2SO4 solutions. The Pt-Co/CCE catalyst, which has excellent electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation than the Pt nanoparticles carbon-ceramic modified electrode (Pt/CCE) and smooth Pt electrode, shows great potential as less expensive electrocatalyst for these fuels oxidation. These results showed that the presence of Co in the structure of catalyst and application of CCE as a substrate greatly enhance the electrocatalytic activity of Pt towards the oxidation of methanol. Moreover, the presence of Co contributes to reduce the amount of Pt in the anodic material of direct methanol fuel cells, which remains one of the challenges to make the technology of direct methanol fuel cells possible. On the other hand, the Pt-Co/CCE catalyst has satisfactory stability and reproducibility for electrooxidation of methanol when stored in ambient conditions or continues cycling making it more attractive for fuel cell applications.