Electrocatalytic properties of conducting polymer based composite film containing dispersed platinum microparticles towards oxidation of methanol

We demonstrate the usefulness of poly-N-methylpyrrole as a matrix for the fabrication of a composite film containing spatially dispersed platinum and highly reactive Ru oxo centers in a form of polynuclear ruthenium(III, IV) oxide/cyanoruthenates. It comes from scanning electron micrography that spherical Pt microparticles are randomly dispersed in the film. Cyclic voltammetry has been employed to characterize electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol at Pt-free and platinized composite films at ambient (20 degrees C) and increased (60 degrees C) temperatures. The presence of ruthenium(III, IV) oxide/cyanoruthenate species in the composite film increases the catalytic activity of Pt towards methanol oxidation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.