One-step fabrication of CuO-doped TiO2 nanotubes enhanced the catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles towards the methanol oxidation reaction in acid media

Abstract

To meet the requirements for the potential applications of fuel cells, it is of vital importance to search for advanced electrocatalysts toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) that have both high electrocatalytic activity and great CO resistance. In this work, we herein report the fabrication of a novel class of Pt–CuO–TiO₂/C catalyst and discover that the as-obtained nanocatalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic properties for the MOR. Remarkably, the mass activity is as high as 1537.3 mA mg_Pt⁻¹, showing 6.0- and 2.75-fold enhancements compared with the reference Pt–C–H and Pt–TiO₂/C catalysts, respectively. Except the superb electrocatalytic activity, it is also demonstrated that such Pt–CuO–TiO₂/C has outstanding electrochemical stability and great tolerance to CO poisoning, representing an advanced electrocatalyst for use in fuel cells.