Metallic ruthenium electrocatalyst with activity for the hydrogen oxidation reaction and the oxygen reduction reaction has been synthesized by microwave irradiation at 180°C in deionized water as reaction media. Characterization of the material by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy shows a complete decarbonylation of the precursor Ru 3 (CO) 12 with formation of metallic Ru, which is confirmed by the corresponding x-ray diffraction analysis. Evaluation of the material's electrocatalytic properties by the rotating disk electrode technique in 0.5 mol l −1 allows the study of hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reaction using linear sweep voltammetry, exhibiting that the diffusional processes of H 2 and O 2 can be improved by modifying the electrocatalytic ink preparation.

This work presents an OsRu-based electrocatalyst synthesis, by a rapid and efficient method through microwave irradiation. The outstanding electrocatalyst shows a dual catalytic activity, demonstrating both hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions. The material is structural and morphologically characterized by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, EDS, and SEM, indicating nanoparticulated Os and Ru metallic phases with a crystallite size of ∼6 nm, calculated by the Scherrer equation. The metal nanoparticles are apparently deposited on a carbonaceous sponge-like morphology structure. Its electrochemical characterization is performed in 0.5 M H2SO4 by the rotating disk electrode technique, employing cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry. Two different ink treatments have been studied to improve the obtained polarization curves. The material was also tested in the presence of methanol for the oxygen reduction reaction, showing an important resistance to this contaminant, making it viable for its use in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) as a cathode and in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs) as an anode as much as a cathode.