Preparation of PtSn/C electrocatalysts by as alcohol-reduction process using different conditions for ethanol electro-oxidation

Abstract

PtSn/C electrocatalysts were prepared by an alcoholreduction process using Pt(C5H7O2)2 and SnCl4•5H2O as metal precursors, a mixture of ethylene glycol:water as both a solvent and reducing agent and Carbon Vulcan XC72 as support. The electrocatalysts were prepared with 20 wt% of metal content and Pt:Sn atomic ratio of 50:50 using different conditions: under reflux (RFX) at 160°C for 3 h and in an autoclave (ATC) at 200°C under autogeneous pressure for 30 min. The obtained PtSn/C electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and cyclic voltammetry. The electro-oxidation of ethanol was evaluated by chronoamperometry in acid medium. A similar performance was observed for commercial PtSn/C BASF and PtSn/C RFX while PtSn/C ATC showed a superior performance.