Core-Shell Co@Pt Nanoparticles as Highly Active Electrocatalyst for Ethanol Oxidation in Fuel Cells

One of the key objectives in fuel cell technology is to improve activity and reduce Pt loading of the electrocatalysts. This paper describes the facile and fast synthesis method for preparation of Co@Pt nanoparticles and their application for ethanol oxidation in acidic media. The morphology, structure and composition of the as-prepared core-shell nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Then, the electrocatalytic activity of the Co@Pt nanoparticles toward ethanol oxidation in acidic media was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry. Both cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry results demonstrate that Co@Pt nanoparticles exhibit significantly high catalytic activity toward the ethanol oxidation reaction in comparison with the Pt-alone nanoparticles.