Origin of the enhanced catalytic activity of carbon nanocoil-supported PtRu alloy electrocatalysts

Abstract

The origin of the excellent electrocatalytic performance of PtRu alloy catalysts supported on newly synthesized carbon nanocoil supports was investigated. Among three commercially available carbon materials-Vulcan XC-72, multiwall carbon nanotube, and activated carbon, the Vulcan XC-72-supported catalyst exhibited the best catalytic performance. Carbon nanocoils with variable surface areas and crystallinity were employed as the supports for 60 wt % Pt/Ru (1:1) catalysts. The catalysts supported on all these three carbon nanocoils exhibited better electrocatalytic performance compared to the catalyst supported on Vulcan XC-72 carbon. In particular, the PtRu alloy catalyst supported on CNC-2, which has both good crystallinity and a large surface area, showed a superior electrocatalytic performance, compared to the catalysts supported on CNC-1 and CNC-3 carbons.