The Effect of Carbon Content on Methanol Oxidation and Photo-Oxidation at Pt-TiO<sub>2</sub>-C Electrodes
oleh: Athanasios Papaderakis, Olga Spyridou, Nikolaos Karanasios, Aikaterini Touni, Angeliki Banti, Nina Dimitrova, Stephan Armyanov, Eugenia Valova, Jenia Georgieva, Sotiris Sotiropoulos
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2020-02-01 |
Deskripsi
The oxidation of methanol is studied at TiO<sub>2</sub>-supported Pt electrodes of varied high surface area carbon content (in the 30-5% w/w range) and C÷Ti atom ratio (in the 3.0-0.4 ratio). The Pt-TiO<sub>2</sub> catalyst is prepared by a photo-deposition process and C nanoparticles (Vulcan XC72R) are added by simple ultrasonic mixing. The optimum C÷Ti atom ratio of the prepared catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation is found to be 1.5, resulting from the interplay of C properties (increased electronic conductivity and methanol adsorption), those of TiO<sub>2</sub> (synergistic effect on Pt and photo-activity), as well as the catalyst film thickness. The intrinsic catalytic activity of the best Pt-TiO<sub>2</sub>/C catalyst is better than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst and could be further improved by nearly 25% upon UV illumination, whose periodic application can also limit current deterioration.