This technology enables the production of platinum nanostructured electrodes through a single electrochemical process without the need for a separate template formation step. It achieves this by performing electrodeposition in an electrolyte containing both chloroplatinic acid and M13 viruses, allowing for the simultaneous deposition of platinum and the virus onto the electrode surface.
The commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells has been hindered by the high cost and low durability of platinum catalysts, as well as issues like methanol crossover. While there have been attempts to use biomaterials as supports, there has been a lack of simple and cost-effective methods for synthesizing platinum nanostructures with low-density dispersion.
This technology uses wild-type or glutamate-rich peptide-expressing M13 viruses that co-precipitate with platinum precursors to regulate nanostructure growth. This results in significantly improved mass activity for methanol oxidation in alkaline media and superior stability compared to platinum synthesized without viruses. Applicable to direct methanol fuel cell catalyst electrodes and various electrochemical sensors, it reduces both manufacturing time and costs through a single electrodeposition process.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education for the development of electrochemical biosensors utilizing bacteriophages.
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