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Research aims to develop higher activity tertiary and quaternary component catalysts for ethanol oxidation, advancing alternative fuel sources for portable power applications. Ternary and quaternary catalysts show promising activity compared to platinum; however, they face poisoning effects over time. Further research on overcoming ethanol poisoning is needed.
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Ethanol can be a sustainable fuel that can be stored easily and with a high energy density. Current fuel cell catalysts display low activity to the oxidation of ethanol. The aim of this research is to develop tertiary and quaternary component catalysts that display a higher activity for oxidation of these fuels and thereby promote Fig. 2 the use of alternative fuel sources for portable power applications. Ternary and quaternary catalysts have been generated (see Fig. 1). Some have shown promise as compared to platinum (see Fig. 2). It is clear that the quaternaries displayed more activity than the Fig. 1 Fig. 3 tertiary catalysts. These catalysts showed significant initial activity during chronoamperometry but become poisoned overtime (see Fig. 3). While these catalysts show promise, overcoming the poisoning effect of ethanol should be researched further Time (hours)