Pt based nanocomposites (Pt+Au+Sn) on activated carbon (AC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) for methanol electro-oxidation were investigated. The studies demonstrated that the presence of Au and Sn significantly modified the catalytic properties while reducing the required precious Pt content and CNT based tri-metallic catalyst (Pt2Au1Sn1/CNT) was found to show the best response to methanol oxidation. The surface species and compositions most likely responsible for the observed catalysis were investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). High resolution spectra of Pt 4f, Au 4f and Sn 3d revealed the distribution of the metallic and oxidised states (oxide/hydroxide) of the different metals. All systems were found to be Pt enriched with Pt composition > 75% in PtAu bi-metallic nanocomposites and > 60% in PtAuSn tri-metallic nanocomposites compared to their respective nominal compositions. The synergistic role played by Au and Sn and the influence of the supporting carbon matrix on the dispersion of metals in the nanoparticles are also highlighted

Surface chemistry of Pt based mono/bi/tri metallic nanocomposites on different carbon supports as probed by XPS

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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