Synthesis and application of RuSe₂_{+ δ}nanotubes as a methanol tolerant electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

This article describes an electrochemical study on the use of RuSe2 + δnanotubes as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Uniform RuSe2 + δnanotubes were synthesized via a facile template-engaged reaction between Ru(acac)3 and t-Se nanowires at 80 °C, followed by selective removal of the unreacted t-Se cores. The resultant RuSe2 + δnanotubes were ∼55 nm in outer diameter, together with a wall thickness of ∼9 nm. These nanotubes were active for ORR and displayed high tolerance to 0.1 M methanol. While the mass-specific ORR activities at 0.7 V were ∼30 times lower than those reported for commercial Pt/C (TKK) catalysts, no detrimental effect over the ORR activity was observed upon the addition of 0.1 M methanol. In the presence of 0.1 M methanol, the mass-specific ORR activity for RuSe2 + δ was ∼12 times lower than that for Pt/C (TKK) at 0.7 V. Durability tests by chronoamperometry showed that 0.1 M methanol led to significant performance loss for Pt/C (TKK), while RuSe2 + δ was completely tolerant to 0.1 M methanol even after 1,800 s of operation.