Abstract
The depleting amount of fossil fuels and the recent concerns about global warming
have been the driving force for developing alternative and renewable energy sources such as
biomass-derived liquid fuels. For applications in transportation or portable devices, direct
ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) has recently attracted attention because of its non-toxicity, higher
power density and renewability. The PtSn/C nanocatalyst is now considered as the most
effective catalyst for the anode performance of DEFC [1]. The optimum Pt/Sn ratio and their
degree of alloying, however, still remain controversial; furthermore, the catalyst preparation
procedure can significantly affect the catalyst's nature and performance [2-3]. To better control
the composition profile as well as the size distribution of PtSn nanoparticles, we recently
focused on developing precisely defined molecular complexes as precursor materials. We
expect that uniform dispersion of such molecular complexes onto catalyst supports, such as
carbon black powders, and the subsequent controlled reduction processes may provide a novel
route to fabricate PtSn nanoparticle catalysts with better alloying, desirable stoichiometry, a
narrow particle size distribution and a better spatial distribution.
