Morphological tuning engineering of Pt@TiO2/graphene catalysts with optimal active surfaces of support for boosting catalytic performance for methanol oxidation. Issue 8 (28th January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Kefu; Qiu, Jun; Wu, Juan; Deng, Yongqi; Wu, Yihan; Yan, Lifeng
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 10:Issue 8(2022)
• Page Start: 4254
• Page End: 4265
• Publication Date: 2022-01-28
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ta09359b
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7488

Abstract

Abstract : Pt@TiO2 /graphene nanocomposite catalysts have been synthesized with boosted catalytic performance for methanol oxidation. Abstract : The fabrication of highly active and stable Pt-based catalysts is an essential factor for the large-scale development of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), which is currently hampered by inefficient metal utilization, vulnerability to the CO poisoning effect, and relatively sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, porous graphene with morphology-controlled TiO2 supported Pt nanoparticles (UV-Pt@TiO2 /graphene) as efficient catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are investigated via an in situ UV-photo-assisted reduction strategy. It is found the TiO2 nanorods (TONR) with the optimal (001) and (110) facets effectively strengthen the Pt trapping ability, enhance the adsorption of methanol molecules and weaken CO intermediate poisoning compared to TiO2 nanocrystals (TONC). Importantly, both in acid and alkaline electrolytes, the UV-Pt@TONR/GN catalysts exhibit superior catalytic activity (1945.63 mA mgPt −1 /3165 mA mgPt −1 ) and long term durability for the MOR, outperforming most reported electrocatalysts. The outstanding catalytic properties are intrinsically attributed to well-hierarchical structure and strong metal–support interactions, which facilitate the tuning of surface properties and electronic structures, promote charge transfer, and synergistically boost methanol electrooxidation. This work indicates the importance of catalyst morphology/facet tuning for catalytic performance enhancement and provides a feasible idea for DMFC catalyst design and construction.