Ethanol is an attractive fuel for direct ethanol fuel cells due to its handling and production from the biomass. Platinum is an effective electrocatalyst for the oxidation of ethanol, however, the use of a noble metal as an electrode material is limited by its high price. One of the ways to reduce amount of Pt is to disperse Pt particles on a technologically relevant substrate.Here we present the study of self-ordered titania nanotube arrayed (denoted as TiO2-NTs) and flat (denoted as TiO2-flat) surfaces as a support for loading of platinum particles with the aim to fabricate a highly efficient nano-Pt(Ni)/TiO2-NTs and nano-Pt(Ni)/TiO2-flat electrocatalysts for the electrooxidation of ethanol in an alkaline medium. The catalysts were prepared by a three-step procedure: i) preparation of TiO2-flat or TiO2-NTs electrodes by anodization of titanium sheets in an aqueous sulfuric acid solution and that containing some NH4F, respectively (1,2); ii) deposition of an electroless Ni sublayer on the synthesized TiO2-NTs or TiO2-flat surfaces and iii) subsequent immersion of the Ni/TiO2-NTs or Ni/TiO2-flat electrodes into the platinum-containing solution for various time periods. Well-adherent platinum-coated nickel films with nm-scaled particles were formed on the titania nanotube arrayed and flat surfaces. The surface morphology and composition of the catalysts were examined using fiel emmision scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of these catalysts was evaluated towards the electrooxidation of ethanol by means of cyclic voltammetry and chrono-techniques.The nano-Pt(Ni)/TiO2-NTs and nano-Pt(Ni)/TiO2-flat catalysts exhibited a higher electrocatalytic efficiency as compared to that of the bulk Pt.The fabricated nanostructured Pt(Ni)/TiO2-NTs and Pt(Ni)/TiO2-flat catalysts seem to be a promising support for fuel cell catalysts.References(1) Tama�auskaite-Tama�iunaite, L., Balciunaite, A., �imkunaite, D., Selskis, A. J. Power Sources, 2012  , 202, 85.(2) Tama�auskaite-Tama�iunaite, L., Balciunaite, A., Vaiciukeviciene, A., Selskis, A., Norkus, E. J. Power Sources, 2013  , 225, 20.

Titania self-ordered nanotubes and flat surfaces as a support for the deposition of nanostructured Pt-Ni catalyst: Enhanced electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol

245th National Meeting (2013)

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