Plasma deposited SnO ₂ nanostructures on C-paper as an anode for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol

The thin film of tin oxide (SnO ₂) on carbon (C) paper was deposited by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at the plasma power of 60 W and 80 W. For SnO ₂ deposition, stannic chloride (SnCl ₄middot;xH ₂O) and oxygen (O ₂, 300 sccm) were used as a source material and the reactant gas respectively. The anode was prepared by the brush coating of Pt-Ru on SnO ₂ /C paper for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The morphological studies showed the highly porous granular morphology of SnO ₂ nanostructures thin film. The FTIR peaks revealed the presence of Sn-O-Sn band in the deposited SnO ₂ nanostructures thin film. The electrocatalytic properties of the SnO ₂ /C electrode under two different electrolytes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies. Compared to 80 W plasma power deposition, the SnO ₂; nanostructures thin film deposited at 60 W displayed the high reduction and oxidation currents. Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) test exhibited that Pt-Ru/ SnO ₂ /C electrode displayed the higher maximum power density of 0.007 W cm ^-2 than commercial Pt-Ru/C electrode (0.005 W cm ^-2.