The Role of Ruthenium on Carbon-Supported PtRu Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Glycerol Oxidation under Acidic Conditions

Abstract

A series of binary PtRu catalysts with different Pt/Ru atomic ratios (from 7:3 to 3:7) were synthesized on a carbon support using the colloidal method; they were then used for electrooxidation of glycerol in acid media. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy analyses were used to investigate particle size, size distribution, and structural and electronic properties of the prepared catalysts. Ru added to the Pt-based catalysts caused structural and electronic modifications over the PtRu alloy catalyst formation. The electrocatalytic activities of PtRu/C series catalysts were investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The Pt5Ru5/C catalyst shows enhanced catalytic activity at least 40 % higher than that of the Pt/C catalyst, with improved stability for glycerol electrooxidation; these improvements are attributed to structural and electronic modifications of the Pt catalysts. Using an electrocatalytic batch reactor, product analysis after the oxidation reaction was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography to determine and compare the reaction pathways on the Pt/C and PtRu/C catalysts. To understand different catalytic activities of glycerol oxidation on the PtRu alloy surfaces, density functional calculations were performed. ? 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim