title: Combinatorial optimization of ternary Pt alloy catalysts for the electrooxidation of methanol.
abstract: We report the combinatorial and high-throughput optimization of improved ternary Pt alloy electrocatalysts for the oxidation of methanol for use in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) anodes. Following up on the discovery of a ternary Pt20Co60Ru20 catalyst with significantly improved electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation over standard Pt-Ru catalysts, we optimize the electrocatalytic activity of this composition using a closely sampled Pt-Co-Ru "optimization library". We also screen for compositional and structural stability using high-throughput methods. Composition-activity maps confirmed improved activity in compositional neighborhood of the Pt20Co60Ru20 catalyst. Activity trends of Pt-Ru binary alloys were in excellent agreement with fundamental surface electrochemical studies. Structural and compositional catalyst stability was probed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Combination of the stability-composition and activity-composition maps resulted in "consensus maps" pointing to a new optimized ternary alloy electrocatalyst for methanol electrooxidation with an overall composition of Pt18Co62Ru20.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204-4004, USA. pstrasser@uh.edu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strasser
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D020650:Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004563:Electrochemistry; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D010984:Platinum; D000432:Methanol