Low Pt content bimetallic Pt-Co electrocatalyst dispersed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes for aqueous So₂ electrolysis

The hybrid sulfur (HyS) cycle is a promising thermochemical water splitting method for the generation of hydrogen, and the use of electrocatalysts to improve the kinetics of SO₂ electrochemical oxidation reaction is crucial for attaining reasonable process efficiency. In this study, carbon nanotube-supported Pt_xCO_y (x:y = 1:5; 5:1 and 5:5 in weight percentage wrt carbon) electrocatalysts were prepared, and their electrochemical characteristics were investigated for the SO₂ electrooxidation reaction. Multiwalled carbon naotubes were prepared from a fluidized bed reactor and the Pt/Co dispersion were carried out by impregnation followed by chemical reduction method. The samples were characterized by neutron activation analysis, powder XRD, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, SAXS, XPS and SEM. The electrochemical properties of the samples were investigated for SO₂ eletrooxidation by linear sweep voltammograms (LSV) and cyclic voltammograms (CV) techniques. (author)