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Composite Anode Electrocatalyst for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

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Abstract

A facile preparation procedure of a composite anode was developed to increase the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). High-surface-area TiO2 nanopowder (280 m2 g−1 by BET) was synthesized by a sulfite complex method and added to an 85 % PtRu/C catalyst prepared by the same procedure. A catalytic ink composed of PtRu/C catalyst, TiO2, and Nafion ionomer was deposited on a carbon cloth-based backing layer and used as composite anode in a DMFC. Half-cell and single-cell polarizations as well as adsorbed methanolic residues stripping analyses demonstrated that the addition of TiO2 to the PtRu/C catalyst produced an increase of the electrochemically active surface area and improved the removal of adsorbed CO by supplying active oxygen species. A 20 % increase in power density was obtained for the fuel cell equipped with the composite anode compared to the conventional one.

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Acknowledgments

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2011-2014) for the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative under grant agreement DURAMET no. 278054.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR-Istituto di Tecnologie Avanzate per l’Energia “Nicola Giordano”, Via Salita S. Lucia Sopra Contesse 5, 98126, Messina, Italy

    V. Baglio, S. C. Zignani, S. Siracusano, A. Stassi, C. D’Urso & A. S. Aricò

  2. Instituto de Química de São Carlos, USP, C.P. 780, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brazil

    S. C. Zignani

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  1. V. Baglio
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  2. S. C. Zignani
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  3. S. Siracusano
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  4. A. Stassi
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  5. C. D’Urso
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  6. A. S. Aricò
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Correspondence to A. S. Aricò.

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Baglio, V., Zignani, S.C., Siracusano, S. et al. Composite Anode Electrocatalyst for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells. Electrocatalysis 4, 235–240 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12678-013-0139-0

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