PLD prepared nanostructured Pt-CeO2 thin films containing ionic platinum

The composition of nanostructured Pt-CeO2 films on graphite substrates prepared by pulsed laser deposition has been investigated by means of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The influence of morphology of the graphite substrates was investigated with respect to the relative concentrations of ionic and metallic Pt species in the films. It was found that the degree of Pt2+ enrichment is directly related to the surface morphology of graphite substrates. In particular, the deposition of Pt-CeO2 films on rough graphite substrate etched in oxygen plasma yielded nanostructured Pt-CeO2 catalyst films with high surface area and high Pt2+/Pt0 ratio. The presented results demonstrate that PLD is a suitable method for the preparation of thin Pt-CeO2 catalyst films for fuel cell applications.