Direct-ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) hold a promising future owing to its simple balance of plant operation and potential high-energy density. The significant challenges associated with it is the fuel crossover, which limits its performance and durability. In the present work, Pt-Pd nanocomposites were fused so as to find its impact on the anode design of DEFC. The current paper aimed to address these issues optimally and it also investigated the ethanol crossover by various electrochemical characterization techniques.
Fuel cells are gaining importance in the emerging area of power generation. However, sluggishness of
the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and usage of expensive electrocatalysts are hindering
its widespread application. Hence, an effort has been made in the present study to synthesize efficient
electrocatalysts based on Pt-Mo alloys with varying atomic ratios (0-100 at. %) by thermal
decomposition method. The synthesized samples were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM and
XPS techniques. The electrocatalytic activity for ORR was measured using cyclic voltammetry and
rotating disk electrode for all the samples and Pt-Mo (1:1) electrocatalyst performed better among the
synthesized electrocatalysts with ORR current density of 63 mA/cm2 at an applied potential of 0.6 V
vs. Hg/HgSO4. The present study suggests that Pt-Mo studied are proven to be a superior catalyst than
a costly Pt catalyst with high ORR activity.
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