Anode Catalysts for Low-Temperature Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells

Anode Catalysts for Low-Temperature Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells... 

Zhou, W.J. (2003) Research on the anode catalysts for low-temperature direct alcohol fuel cells. Ph.D. thesis. Dalian Institute of Physical Chemistry. 

In order to improve the Faradic efficiency and fuel utilization, the desired final product of alcohol oxidation is CO2. However, breaking the C—C bonds of alcohols for direct C2+ alcohol fuel cells remains a great challenge, especially at low temperatures (e.g., <90 °C) and low anode overpotentials. For primary alcohol oxidation, such as ethanol oxidation, nanostructured PtRhSn/C has demonstrated a strong ability to both improve reaction kinetics and break C—C bond. Future research efforts using both combinational chemistry methods and theoretical calculations may lead to the development of efficient ternary or even quarterly PtSn-based catalysts for complete alcohol oxidation. 

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