Influence of carbon source in the properties of Ni/Carbon prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and thermal treatment and used as supports for PtRu/C electrocatalysts

ABSTRACT

In this work, Ni/Carbon hybrids were prepared in two steps (hydrothermal carbonization and thermal treatment at 900 °C under argon atmosphere) using different carbon souces: glucose, starch and cellulose. PtRu/C electrocatalysts were prepared by an alcohol-reduction process using the hybrids as support. The materials were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), B.E.T isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in acidic medium. The electro-oxidation of methanol was studied by chronoamperometry. The PtRu/C electrocatalyst prepared using the hybrid synthesized from cellulose showed an electroactivity slightly superior compared to other obtained materials.

Keywords
Methanol; Fuel cells; Carbohydrates