A rapid synthesis of TiO2 nanotubes in an ethylene glycol system by anodization as a Pt-based catalyst support for methanol electrooxidation

In this paper, we report a rapid method to synthesize titania nanotubes as the support for a Pt-based catalyst. The titania nanotubes can be obtained during 1200 s in an ethylene glycol system by the anodization method. Pt nanoparticles were successfully deposited on a mixture of carbon and as-prepared TiO2 nanotubes by a microwave-assisted polyol process. The electrochemical results show that the electrochemically active specific surface area and the activity for methanol electrooxidation of the as-prepared catalyst are both much higher than those of the commercial Pt/C. Whether it is through the constant potential test or cycling potential test, the durability of the as-prepared catalyst is higher than that of the commercial Pt/C. Such remarkable performance is due to the strong corrosion resistance of titania, metal-support interactions and hydrogen spillover effect between Pt and titania, the better electronic conductivity, as well as the good dispersion of the Pt nanoparticles. These studies indicate that titania nanotubes are a promising catalyst support for methanol electrooxidation.