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Title
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Synthesis and characterization of Pt nanoparticles on sulfur-modified carbon nanotubes for methanol oxidation
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Type
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JournalPaper
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Keywords
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Carbon nanotubes, Pt nanoparticles, Catalyst support, Methanol oxidation reaction, Sulfur, Fuel cell
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Abstract
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Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes (Pt/CNTs) have been synthesized from sulfur-modified CNTs impregnated with H2PtCl6 as Pt precursor. The dispersion and size of Pt nanoparticles in the synthesized Pt/CNT nanocomposites are remarkably affected by the amount of sulfur modifier (S/CNT ratio). The results of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicate that an S/CNT ratio of 0.3 affords well dispersed Pt nanoparticles on CNTs with an average particle size of less than 3 nm and a narrow size distribution. Among different catalysts, the Pt/CNT nanocomposite synthesized at S/CNT ratio of 0.3 showed highest electrochemically active surface area (88.4 m2 g1) and highest catalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction. The mass-normalized methanol oxidation peak current observed for this catalyst (862.8 A g1) was w 6.5 folds of that for Pt deposited on pristine CNTs (133.2 A g1) and w 2.3 folds of a commercial Pt/C (381.2 A g1). The results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of a relatively simple route for preparation of sulfur-modified CNTs as a precursor for the synthesis of Pt/CNTs, without the need for tedious pretreatment procedures to modify CNTs or complex equipments to achieve high dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on the support.
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Researchers
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Mohammad Kazem Amini (Second Researcher), Rezgar Ahmadi (First Researcher)
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