直接甲醇燃料電池的發展在目前仍有很多方面的瓶頸，其中包括陽極觸媒催化效能的有效提升並減少CO對白金觸媒的毒化、減緩高分子電解質薄膜的甲醇穿透率等。本研究主要目的是期望提升陽極觸媒的催化效能，同時減少CO的毒化的現象以及甲醇的穿透，以獲得較高的電池功率密度。
仿效Watanabe等人和Pattabiraman所提出的製程，加上濕式氫氣還原製備PtRu/C(1:1)觸媒，利用X光粉末繞射儀(X-ray Powder Diffraction)、穿透式電子顯微鏡(Transmission Electron Microscopy)、感應耦合電漿質譜(Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer)，分析觸媒型態與組成，並使用循環伏安法(Cyclic Voltammetry)、電化學阻抗(Electrochemical Impedance Spectrum)，分析觸媒在半電池時的催化活性和抑制CO的毒化能力；之後再將PtRu/C觸媒當作陽極觸媒，利用Johnson Matthey Pt/C商業觸媒當作陰極觸媒，組裝成全電池(single cell)，進行電壓電流特性曲線和電化學阻抗分析，以獲得其功率密度。
將電化學的結果和Johnson Matthey的PtRu/C商業觸媒進行比較，可發現在實驗室自製的觸媒，雖然在半電池時電流密度較商業觸媒低，也就是總反應表面積較小，但有較佳的CO抑制能力和較強的催化活性；由此發現，可看到在全電池時，使用自製的觸媒所組成的全電池和利用商業觸媒組成的全電池其功率密度已相當接近。

The advantages of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) over hydrogen fuel cells include easy storage of the high energy density liquid fuel, direct fuel feeding without reforming and low operating temperature. It is therefore considered by many people the most promising alternative power source for mobile applications and electric vehicles. Despite its advantages over hydrogen fuel cells, a few engineering obstacles of the DMFC remain to be overcame. The sluggish catalysis of the anode, on one hand, makes higher methanol concentration more favorable. The methanol permeation problem, on the other hand, generates a mixed potential at the cathode and adversely lowers the output voltage with high methanol concentration. Motivated by these two issues, we performed a thorough study of different methods of catalyst synthesis.

Based on Watanabe et al. and Pattabiraman, we synthesize catalysts of Pt/Ru/C (1:1) by bubbling hydrogen. We then visualize the morphologies and the compositions of them by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Their electrochemical behaviors in a half cell are analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) using H2SO4 (1 M) + CH3OH (1 M). Their performances in a single cell at 30 ℃ and 60 ℃ were investigated, using methanol of 1 M and air, by EIS and IV characteristic curves.

In the end we compare our home-made catalysts with commercial PtRu/C (1:1) catalysts from Johnson Matthey: As for a half cell, in spite of lower peak current densities, they triumph with lower peak potentials, less carbon monoxide poisoning and lower charge transfer impedance. In terms of power densities of a single cell, they compete well with commercial catalysts. Therefore, in operations of long periods of time, we consider our catalysts a good candidate for the anode of a DMFC.

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