High performance Pt/Ti3O5Mo0.2Si0.4 electrocatalyst with outstanding methanol oxidation activity

Abstract

Pt nanoparticles deposited on a highly-conductive carbon-free Ti₃O₅Mo_0.2Si_0.4 (TOMS) support exhibit high activities towards methanol oxidation reactions, with lower onset potentials and substantially larger oxidation currents compared to Pt/C. The activation energy for methanol oxidation was determined to be significantly lower on Pt/TOMS compared to that on Pt/C, indicating its faster kinetics. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements revealed substantially smaller charge transfer resistance values for Pt/TOMS in comparison with Pt/C. The enhanced performance is a result of the strong electronic interaction between Pt and the conductive TOMS support.