INFLUENCE OF THE SOLVENT ETHYLENE GLYCOL ON THE PROPERTIES OF Pt/C CATALYSTS
Constant and pulsed current electrodeposition techniques were employed to successfully deposit Pt particles on a highly dispersed Nafion-bonded carbon support Vulcan XC-72 from precursor electrolyte solutions of chloroplatinic acid. Electrochemical methods and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to characterize the electrodeposited platinum particles. Analysis of the results obtained from these techniques indicated that a transition from aqueous to two-component organic (water-ethylene glycol) solutions of the electrolyte resulted in an increase in the overpotential of Pt electrodeposition and a change from spherical to non-regular petal shape of Pt deposits under constant current electrolysis. In addition, the platinum nanoparticles are deposited only on the surface of the carbon layer but not deeper in the porous Vulcan XC-72 carbon layer. The maximum electrochemically active surface area of 37 m <sup>2</sup>/g (Pt) was obtained by employing pulse electrodeposition method from aqueous solution of the electrolyte. The results obtained allow specifying the range of tasks that need to be addressed for the successful implementation of such techniques.