Preparation and Electroactivities of Carbon Nanotubes-supported Metal Catalyst Electrodes Prepared by a Potential Cycling

The electrochemical deposition of Pt nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supports and their catalytic activities for methanol electro-oxidation were investigated. Pt catalysts of 4~12 nm average crystalline size were grown on supports by potential cycling methods. Electro-plating of 12 min time by potential cycling method was sufficient to obtain small crystalline size 4.5 nm particles, showing a good electrochemical activity. The catalysts' loading contents were enhanced by increasing the deposition time. The crystalline sizes and morphology of the Pt/support catalysts were evaluated using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical behaviors of the Pt/support catalysts were investigated according to their characteristic current-potential curves in a methanol solution. In the result, the electrochemical activity increased with increased plating time, reaching the maximum at 12 min, and then decreased. The enhanced electroactivity for catalysts was correlated to the crystalline size and dispersion state of the catalysts.