Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have ignited significant interest due to their straightforward design, efficient energy conversion, and eco-friendly emission characteristics. Creating efficient and long-lasting platinum-based catalysts is vital for advancing DMFCs. However, the most difficult concerns in the fuel cell sector are cost, efficiency, and lifetime. Because platinum is the most expensive component of DMFCs, it is most important to produce catalysts with higher activity and stability while reducing the content of expensive platinum. By integrating non-precious metals, such as copper, with platinum, we can significantly decrease reliance on costly platinum while enhancing catalytic efficiency, paving the way for a highly effective and versatile solution for a wide range of electrocatalytic applications. Recently, PtCu alloy catalysts have attracted particular attention because the formed bimetallic structures of Pt and Cu could enhance platinum activity and tolerance to CO poisoning, a common byproduct of the reaction. The synergistic effect between platinum and copper increases the overall catalytic activity, which lies in enhanced CO tolerance, bifunctional and electronic effects. Additionally, it is well-known that an optimized catalyst synthesis procedure could reduce the noble catalyst consumption and enhance its electrocatalytic performance. In this work, microwave-assisted polyol method was used to obtain PtCu/C catalyst for effective methanol oxidation reaction. The electrocatalytic activity of PtCu/C catalyst was examined in 0.5 M H2SO4 + 0.5 M CH3OH solution. Catalyst stability was examined by long-term potential cycling. The results from cyclic voltammetry experiments indicate enhanced catalytic activities for methanol oxidation reaction and improved resistance ability to CO inhibition, after addition of Cu to Pt catalyst.
Stevanović et al. (Wed,) studied this question.