Glycerol electrocatalytic oxidation on Pt(1−2x)RuxSnxOy/Ti electrodes prepared by the polymeric precursor method

•PtRuSnOy/Ti electrodes prepared by thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors.•Perform well in glycerol electrooxidation.•The presence of RuO2 and SnO2 influences glycerol oxidation.•Enhanced activity arose from the high electrode active surface area and the ability to donate large amounts of OH species.•The Pt0.8Ru0.1Sn0.10Oy/Ti electrode presented the highest electroactivity.

This work investigated the behavior of glycerol oxidation on Pt(1−2x)RuxSnxOy/Ti electrodes. Thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors furnished the catalysts at different compositions. Energy dispersive X-ray, scanning electronic microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry aided catalysts characterization. The electrodes presented high surface area and compositions similar to the nominal ones. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry showed that the glycerol oxidation current densities of mixed electrodes were higher than that of platinum alone at low potential values. The onset potential of glycerol oxidation shifted toward less positive values, showing that these materials facilitated oxidation as compared with platinum. The Pt0.8Ru0.1Sn0.10Oy/Ti electrode presented the highest electroactivity.

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