Enhancement of methanol electrocatalytic oxidation on platinized WO3–TiO2 composite electrode under visible light irradiation

A ternary composite catalyst of Pt–WO3–TiO2 has been successfully prepared by a chemical method. The prepared composite was systematically characterized by UV–vis diffuse reflectance absorption spectra (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrocatalytic properties of Pt–WO3–TiO2 for methanol oxidation in an alkaline medium were evaluated by the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) with or without visible light irradiation. Compared with the pure TiO2, the introduction of WO3 extends its absorption edge to visible light region. Under visible light illumination, the Pt–WO3–TiO2 composite catalyst exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation in comparison with its counterpart, the pure Pt–TiO2 catalyst.

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► A ternary composite catalyst of Pt–WO3–TiO2 has been synthesized.
► The introduction of WO3 extends its absorption edge to visible light region.
► The electrode displays high electrocatalytic activity.
► With visible light irradiation, its electrocatalytic activity increases 70%.