Silica nanoparticles for template synthesis of supported Pt and Pt-Ru electrocatalysts

A simple method was developed for the template synthesis of silica-supported Pt and bimetallic Pt-Ru nanocatalysts. The synthesis used amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles as both template and support for the formation of metal nanoclusters with a precise composition, narrow size distribution, uniform shape and close spatial association. The nanocatalysts were compared with a commercial Pt-C catalyst used in fuel cell applications. Electrochemical measurements of methanol oxidation demonstrated higher catalytic activity for silica-supported Pt nanocatalysts and a reduced CO poisoning effect from co-templating of Pt and Ru.