Research on UO(2) modification of a direct ethanol fuel cell Pt/C catalyst

Radioactive UO(2) powder was prepared by hydrothermal method and a set of Pt–xUO(2)/C catalysts were synthesized by impregnation method for solving the problem of low activity and easy poisoning of anode Pt/C catalysts for a direct ethanol fuel cell. XRD, TEM, EDS, XPS and ICP-MS characterization showed the successful loading of Pt and UO(2) onto the carbon carrier. Electrochemical workstation and single cell test results confirm that the catalytic performance of Pt–10% UO(2)/C is significantly better than Pt/C-eg. It is speculated that the synergistic effect of Pt and U enhances the catalytic activity and UO(2) improves the resistance to CO poisoning by releasing O(2) stored in the lattice space, while the α-particles released by (235)U can also generate radiolysis product OH and promote the oxidative desorption of CO from the Pt surface.