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Issue 8, 2010
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Nanostructured WCx/CNTs as highly efficient support of electrocatalysts with low Pt loading for oxygenreduction reaction

Changhai Liang,*a   Ling Ding,a   Chuang Li,a   Min Pang,a   Dangsheng Su,b   Wenzhen Lic  and  Yuemin Wangd  
Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

a State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals and Key Laboratory for Micro/Nano Technology and System of Liaoning Province, Dalian University of Technology, China
E-mail: changhai@dlut.edu.cn
Fax: + 86 411 39893991
Tel: +86 411 39608806

b Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Germany

c Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, USA

d Chair of Physical Chemistry I, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany

Abstract

Highly active Pt–WCx/carbon nanotube (CNT) electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been developed by the combination of tungsten carbide with CNTs as electrocatalyst supports. The obtained WCx/CNT and Pt–WCx/CNT samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS and electrochemical measurements. The results showed that nanostructured tungsten carbide particles on carbon nanotubes could be prepared by microwave-assisted thermolytic molecular precursor method, and the particle size of tungsten carbide increased with the increase of tungsten loading. The nanostructured WCx/CNTs showed electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction. The deposition of Pt nanoparticles on the WCx/CNTs resulted in higher electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction and better immunity to methanol than Pt/CNT catalysts. The unique electrocatalytic properties of the novel Pt–WCx/CNT electrocatalyst were attributed to a synergistic effect between Pt, WCx and the CNTs. The findings also indicated that WCx/CNTs were efficient electrocatalyst supports that could reduce Pt usage while the same electrocatalytic properties were kept for the ORR in direct methanol fuel cells.

Graphical abstract: Nanostructured WCx/CNTs as highly efficient support of electrocatalysts with low Pt loading for oxygen reduction reaction

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Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C001423K
Submitted
21 Jan 2010
Accepted
09 Apr 2010
First published
08 Jun 2010
Energy Environ. Sci., 2010,3, 1121-1127
Article type
Paper
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Nanostructured WCx/CNTs as highly efficient support of electrocatalysts with low Pt loading for oxygen reduction reaction

C. Liang, L. Ding, C. Li, M. Pang, D. Su, W. Li and Y. Wang, Energy Environ. Sci., 2010, 3, 1121
DOI: 10.1039/C001423K

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