Enhanced activity of Pt nano-crystals supported on a novel TiO2@N-doped C nano-composite for methanol oxidation reaction

Abstract

The development of advanced support materials displays the potential for both reducing the cost and simultaneously increasing the activity of catalysts. In the current work, a novel N-doped carbon coated hydrophilic titanium dioxide (TiO₂@N-doped C) nano-composite, constructed by the procedure of an in situ polymerization and subsequent pyrolysis, was utilized to support Pt nano-crystals for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The as-prepared Pt/TiO₂@N-doped C catalyst generated 1.74-fold higher activity, 2.08-fold higher stability and much better resistance to CO poisoning than a commercial state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. The enhanced catalytic performance was ascribed to the improved CO tolerance and the catalyst–support interaction due to the utilization of the TiO₂@N-doped C nano-composite, which not only provides rich active –OH groups to promote CO oxidation via the bifunctional mechanism, but also modifies the electronic structure of the Pt NPs to improve the intrinsic kinetics of MOR. The as-developed TiO₂@N-doped C nano-composite is a highly promising catalyst support material for use in fuel cell technology.