Fengxia Wang

Carbonized phenanthroline functionalized carbon as an alternative support: a strategy to intensify Pt activity and durability for methanol oxidation

In this study, a carbonized phenanthroline functionalized carbon support (CPF-C) has been prepared, which was used to load Pt nanoparticles to serve as an electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation. The results show that the performance of Pt in Pt/CPF-C is improved relative to that of industrially adopted Pt/C. The increase is mainly interpreted in terms of the synergistic effect between the stabilized Pt nanoparticles and nitrogen-functionalized CPF-C support. The novel CPF-C support presented here offers an alternative to the conventional carbon support to improve the performance of Pt applied in direct methanol fuel cells.

Carbonized 1H-benzotriazole modified carbon depositing Pd for ethanol electrooxidation

Carbonized 1H-benzotriazole modified carbon (BTA-MC) is prepared, then Pd nanoparticles are deposited on to it (Pd/BTA-MC). The BTA modification leads to good Pd dispersion and strengthened interaction between Pd and BTA-MC, so the prepared Pd/BTA-MC catalyst has an enhanced electrochemical performance towards ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. Compared to a conventional Pd/C catalyst, the Pd/BTA-MC catalyst exhibits a larger electrochemically active surface area, higher electrocatalytic activity and better poison-tolerance, as well as a lower apparent activation energy. It would be a promising candidate for direct ethanol fuel cells.