Comparative study of methanol adsorption and electro-oxidation on carbon-supported platinum in acidic and alkaline electrolytes

Methanol electro-oxidation reaction over carbon-supported platinum nanoparticles, including methanol adsorption, apparent reaction order and activation energy, in acidic and alkaline media was investigated comparatively. The results show that the rate constant for methanol adsorption in 1 M NaOH is significantly higher than that in 0.5 M H2SO4 at the relatively low potential and the COad removal in alkaline media is easier, due to the availability of oxygen-containing species, than in acidic media at the same potential. The apparent activation energy for the MOR in alkaline media is 25.3–14.6 kJ mol−1, significantly lower than that in acidic media (34.9–28.5 kJ mol−1). The better MOR activity of Pt/C in alkaline media is attributed to the faster methanol adsorption and the availability of oxygen-containing species.

► Methanol adsorption and electro-oxidation on Pt/C in acidic and alkaline media were investigated.
► The rate constant for methanol adsorption (kad) in alkaline is significantly higher than that in acid.
► The COad removal in alkaline is facile, due to the available of O-containing species.
► Faster kad + available O-containing species in alkaline → better MOR activity.