Rapid synthesis of platinum-ruthenium bimetallic nanoparticles dispersed on carbon support as improved electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation

Bimetallic nanocatalysts with small particle size benefit from markedly enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability during small molecule oxidation. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesize binary Pt-Ru nanoparticles dispersed on a carbon support at an optimum temperature. Because of its monodispersed nanostructure, synergistic effects were observed between Pt and Ru and the PtRu/C electrocatalysts showed remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation. The peak current density of the Pt₁Ru₁/C electrocatalyst is 3731 mA mg^-1, which is 9.3 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (401 mA mg^-1). Furthermore, the synthesized Pt₁Ru₁/C catalyst exhibited higher stability during ethanol oxidation in an alkaline medium and maintained a significantly higher current density after successive cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of 500 cycles than commercial Pt/C. Our work highlights the significance of the reaction temperature during electrocatalyst synthesis, leading to enhanced catalytic performance towards ethanol oxidation. The Pt₁Ru₁/C electrocatalyst has great potential for application in direct ethanol fuel cells.