PtSn Nanoalloy Thin Films as Anode Catalysts in Methanol Fuel Cells.

Reactions of SnX (X = Cl, Br) with [PtMe(bipy)], , (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine), followed by NaBH reduction at the toluene/water interface in the presence or absence of graphene oxide support rendered PtSn nanoalloy thin films. They were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytical activity of the PtSn thin films was investigated in the methanol oxidation reaction. Our studies showed that the PtSn/reduced-graphene oxide (RGO) thin film gave better catalytic results for MOR in comparison to bare PtSn or Pt thin films. A maximum / ratio ( and are the maximum current densities in the forward and backward scans, respectively) of 6.77 was obtained for the PtSn/RGO thin film deriving from the + SnBr + NaBH sequence.