Electro-oxidation of ethanol on ternary non-alloyed Pt-Sn-Pr/C catalysts

Ternary Pt-Sn-Pr/C (70:10:20), (70:15:15) and (45:45:10) electro-catalysts were prepared by a modified formic acid method, and their activity for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) was compared with that of Pt-Pr/C catalysts prepared by the same methods and that of commercial Pt-Sn/C (75:25) and Pt/C catalysts. Among all the catalysts, the Pt-Sn-Pr/C (45:45:10) catalyst presented both the highest mass activity and the highest specific activity. The steady state electrochemical stability of ternary Pt-Sn-Pr catalysts increased with the surface Sn/Pt atomic ratio. Following repetitive potential cycling (RPC), the activity for ethanol oxidation of Pt-Sn-Pr/C catalysts with high surface Sn/Pt atomic ratio was considerably higher than that of the corresponding as-prepared catalysts, and increased with increasing the Sn/Pt ratio. The increase of the EOR mass activity following RPC was ascribed to the increase of either the specific activity (for the Pt-Sn-Pr/C (70:15:15) catalyst) or the electrochemically active surface area (for the Pt-Sn-Pr/C (45:45:10) catalyst). Dissolution of Sn and Pr oxides from Pt-Sn-Pr/C catalyst surface was observed following RPC. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,