Abstract
A PtRu alloy nano-particle attracts attention as an anode catalyst in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell because of its higher tolerability for CO poisoning than a Pt nano-particle. To reveal the mechanism of the high tolerability for CO in the PtRu alloy nano-particle, we investigated adsorption process of a CO molecule on the Pt and PtRu alloy nano-particles by first-principles calculation. The results show that the bond length of the CO molecule adsorbed on the PtRu alloy nano-particle is longer than that on the Pt nano-particle. This indicates that the PtRu alloy nano-particle oxidizes a CO molecule to a CO_2 molecule more easily than the Pt nano-particle. In addition, the CO molecule is more difficult to adsorb on the Pt atom in the PtRu alloy nano-particle than that in the Pt nano-particle.
