Polyoxometalate-Modified Carbon Nanotubes:  New Catalyst Support for Methanol Electro-oxidation

• Published in: Langmuir 2006-06, Vol.22 (13), p.5872-5876
• Main Authors: Pan, Dawei, Chen, Jinhua, Tao, Wenyan, Nie, Lihua, Yao, Shouzhuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Catalysis; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Electrochemistry; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc; Exact sciences and technology; Fuel cells; General and physical chemistry; Kinetics and mechanism of reactions; Physical and chemical studies. Granulometry. Electrokinetic phenomena; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/la053171w

A new catalyst support, polyoxometalate-modified carbon nanotubes, is presented in this paper through the chemisorption between polyoxometalate and carbon. Pt and Pt−Ru nanoparticles were electrochemically deposited on polyoxometalate-modified carbon nanotubes electrodes, and their electrocatalytic properties for methanol electro-oxidation are investigated in detail. Due to the unique electrical properties of carbon nanotubes and the excellent redox properties and the high protonic conductivity of polyoxometalate, for the similar deposition charge of Pt and Pt−Ru catalysts, 1.4 times larger exchange current density, 1.5 times higher specific activity, and better cycle stabilities can be obtained at polyoxometalate-modified carbon nanotube electrodes as compared to the electrodes without polyoxometalate modification. These results show that polyoxometalate-modified carbon nanotubes as a new catalyst support have good potential application in direct methanol fuel cells.