Electrochemical characterization of Pt-CeO2/C and Pt-CexZr1−xO2/C catalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation

Pt-CeO2/C and a series of Pt-CexZr1−xO2/C catalyst powders with different Ce/Zr ratio were prepared and evaluated in terms of the electrochemical activity for ethanol electro-oxidation using cyclic voltammetry (CV), steady state polarization experiments and CO-stripping technique at room temperature. XRD results show that CexZr1−xO2 and Pt coexist in the Pt-CexZr1−xO2/C catalyst and CexZr1−xO2 has no effect on the crystalline lattice of Pt. TEM results show that the Pt and CexZr1−xO2 particles dispersed uniformly over the surface of the carbon black. Cyclic voltammetry results show that the mass activity and specific activity of Pt-CeO2/C for ethanol electro-oxidation is higher than that of Pt/C. The structure and Ce/Zr ratio of Pt-CexZr1−xO2/C has effect on the catalytic activity of catalysts. CO-stripping voltammetry showed that the inclusion of CeO2 and CexZr1−xO2 favors the CO oxidation at lower potential.