Hafnium sulphide-carbon nanotube composite as Pt support and active site-enriched catalyst for high performance methanol and ethanol oxidations in alkaline electrolytes

Abstract The design and development of active and stable electrocatalysts for methanol and ethanol oxidations are needed for the applications of direct alcohol fuel cells. In this study, hafnium sulphide nanoparticle and carbon nanotube-based composites are used as Pt support for anodic reactions of fuel cells. The catalytic performance of the prepared Pt@HfS x /carbon nanotube catalysts for methanol oxidation and ethanol oxidation reactions in alkaline electrolytes are investigated. The electrochemical tests reveal that the Pt@HfS x /carbon nanotube has outstanding catalytic activities for both methanol oxidation and ethanol oxidation reactions in terms of the low overpotential and high current density, which are much better than its counterpart with Vulcan-XC carbon as the Pt support. The results indicate that Pt@HfS x /carbon nanotube has a great potential as electrode catalyst for anodic oxidation in direct alcohol fuel cells.