Abstract:
This work was carried out to synthesize the Pt/WC/C electrocatalysts for hydrogen redox reaction. Effects of reducing temperature of WC, solution pH for the Pt/C synthesis and the addition of WC into the Pt/C structure were explored. The results showed that the WC synthesized by the carbonization at 950oC under argon gas and reduction at 850oC under hydrogen gas exhibited a higher WC crystalline content of 79 wt%. Regarding the effect of pH used to synthesize Pt/C by polyol method at 140oC, it was found that the optimal particle size (3.65 ± 0.96 nm) and an even distribution of Pt were obtained at pH 12. By the addition of WC into the Pt/C electrocatalyst, the results displayed that the 15% Pt/WC/C showed the greatest hydrogen oxidation and hydrogen evolution activity in 0.5 M H2SO4, which were comparable to those of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C electrocatalyst. This is likely due to the increased electrochemical surface area of Pt modified with the added WC. Moreover, after the stability test in 0.5 M H2SO4 via the cyclic voltammetry, the 15 %Pt/WC/C showed a higher stability throughout the hydrogen redox reaction than the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C for 1,000 cycles.