Obtenção de catalisadores com estrutura Core–Shell para aplicação na reação de redução de oxigênio

Abstract

Recently, Pt-based catalysts with core-shell structure have been shown to be an alternative promising in the catalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction (RRO), providing a significant reduction of this noble metal in its composition. This work had as objective the obtaining of electrocatalysts with this type of structure to investigate its activities in front of the RRO. The synthesis method employed was sequential chemical reduction, in which nanoparticles of less noble metals were first obtained by the reduction of their precursors with NaBH4. These nanoparticles acted as nuclei for further Pt coating by reducing with ascorbic acid. The catalysts chosen for the synthesis were SnO2@Pt/C, Ni@Pt/C and NiSn@Pt/C. X-ray diffraction and cyclic voltammetry revealed evidence that core-shell structures were obtained in the synthesis of these electrocatalysts. The rotating disk electrode analyzes, in turn, showed that the highest activity for O2 reduction was attributed to the NiSn@Pt/C catalyst, even exceeding in about 82% the activity of the commercial Pt/C catalyst (E-TEK). However, Ni@Pt/C was the catalyst of lower activity among the electrocatalysts. Considering the RRO activity in the presence of methanol, the catalysts with core-shell structure synthesized presented higher tolerance to alcohol, especially in low overpotential values. The NiSn@Pt/C catalyst continued to exhibit the highest activity for the RRO, this time in the presence of methanol. It was shown to be broadly superior to Pt/C, to the other core-shell and Pt/C (E-TEK) catalysts, with activity in the presence of methanol four times higher than the commercial catalyst.