Correlation between Surface Pt-Ru Bonding and CO Tolerance of PtRu/C PEFC Anode Catalysts Prepared Using a Relatively Large Surface Area Carbon Support
摘要
We prepared PtRu/C anode catalysts for PEFCs with Ru: Pt molar ratios of 1.0, 1.3, and 2.0, supported on two types of Ketjen Black carbon (KB800 and KB1600) with surface areas of 789 and 1627 m2g– 1, respectively. The PtRu particles supported on KB1600 were smaller than those supported on KB800 because of their larger surface areas. Characterization using N2 adsorption, TEM, CO tolerance, CO stripping, and in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) revealed well-alloyed Pt-Ru structures, providing CO adsorption sites of approximately 80–100 m2gPtRu– 1. Among the catalysts, PtRu1.3/KB1600 exhibited the highest CO tolerance, maintaining about 0.73 V at 1000 ppm CO, outperforming a commercial catalyst (0.47 V). The differences in CO tolerance were linked to the number of active CO oxidation sites, as determined by CO stripping. Because only surface Pt-Ru bonding contributes to CO oxidation, whereas surface Ru-Ru bonding does not, the ECSA for Pt-Ru bonding of each catalyst was calculated from the results of CO stripping and in situ XAFS. This parameter can be used as a key factor in evaluating or predicting the CO tolerance of PtRu catalysts and can be optimized through proper selection of the carbon support.
Graphical Abstract