Ordered mesoporous tungsten carbide/carbon composites promoted Pt catalyst with high activity and stability for methanol electrooxidation

The current anode materials used for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are expensive and not sufficiently durable for commercial development. One of the major challenges lies in the development of an inexpensive, efficient and stable anode catalyst. In the present manuscript ordered mesoporous tungsten carbide/carbon composites promoted Pt (Pt@WC/OMC) catalyst with high activity and stability for methanol electrooxidation is reported. WC/OMC nanomaterials have been synthesized by combing the hydrothermal reaction and the hard-template method and they have been platinized by a pulse microwave assisted polyol technique. The combination of high surface area, ordered mesopores, the synergistic effect and CO-tolerant ability of WC and well dispersed Pt nanoparticles provide Pt@WC/OMC with high activity, desirable stability, and CO-tolerance toward methanol electrooxidation. Compared with the commercial PtRu@C (40. wt.% Pt, 20. wt.% Ru) catalyst, Pt@WC/OMC demonstrates longer stability as well as higher specific mass activity for methanol electrooxidation by a factor of 1.1 (per mg. Pt) and 1.7 (per mg noble metal). Experimental results have proved that Pt@WC/OMC is a promising anode catalyst for DMFCs applications. © 2013 Elsevier B.V