Electrooxidation of ethanol using Pt rare earth-C Electrocatalysts prepared by an alcohol reduction process

Abstract

Pt rare earth–C electrocatalysts (rare earth = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Lu) were prepared by an alcohol reduction process using ethylene glycol as reduction agent and solvent and Vulcan XC 72 as support. The electrocatalysts were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and cyclic voltammetry. The electrooxidation of ethanol was studied in acid medium by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry using thin porous coating technique. The XRD patterns indicate that all electrocatalysts present the facecentered cubic structure of Pt and the presence of rare earth hydroxides. All electrocatalysts prepared by this methodology showed superior performance for ethanol electrooxidation at room temperature compared to Pt–C.