Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) belongs to the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), which directly use aqueous or steam methanol as fuel supply source, without the reforming of methanol, gasoline and natural gas for hydrogen generation. Direct methanol fuel cell with the properties of quickly starting at low temperature, clean and environmental protection and sample battery structural ect., have been studied extensively.

 

Tungsten trioxide is one of the few oxide semiconductors which is easy to implement an quantum size effect, and has been widely used in the fuel cell, and the field of optoelectronic devices and other electrochemical sensors. Researchers have studied the catalyst which added WO₃, and the results showed the catalytic activity of Pt-WO₃ and Pt-Ru-WO₃for H₂/ CO and methanol have improved significantly. Reaction equation is:

WO₃+xPt-H→H_xWO₃+xPt

H_xWO₃→xH⁺+xe^-+WO₃

Through the above two continuous reaction, active sites on the Pt particles will be released, to further promote the solution of hydrogen dissociative adsorption.

 

With the different synthesis and preparation conditions, tungsten trioxide will appear in different structures and morphologies, and these features will significantly affect their physical and chemical properties. Studies have shown that the crystalline morphology of tungsten trioxide has a great influence on the catalytic properties of electrodes, but how the different crystal structure of the tungsten trioxide will affect the catalytic properties of electrodes? Study has synthesized two different crystal structure of WO₃ nano powder by hydrothermal method, and then made into a tungsten oxide composite electrode to observe the effect on the catalytic performance of methanol. Experiments showed that, Pt-WO₃/C catalyst has the better electrocatalytic activity for methanol than Pt / C (in which Pt takes 20% of the mass fraction), The catalytic properties of Pt-WO₃(p) / C is better than Pt-WO₃(b) / C [p in the brackets refer to p-type, b refers to the b-type]. When the tungsten trioxide mass fraction is 20%, Pt-WO₃/ C catalyst has the best catalytic effect.