Research Progress on Catalysts for the Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol

The methanol oxidation reaction has high energy density and the product is non-toxic and harmless (CO2, H2O), making it become one of the targets of new fuel energy. To maximize the efficiency of the reaction, its key lies in the development of highly efficient catalysts. In this paper, we reviewed the types of methanol electrocatalytic oxidation catalysts in recent years, some new preparation methods, and the reaction mechanism of different types of catalyst systems, and discussed their structure-activity relationships, laying the foundation for the development of highly efficient new catalysts in the future. And this paper is included on the types of catalysts (Pt-based catalyst, Ni-based catalyst, and other transition metal-based catalyst) and preparation methods (Reduction method, sol-gel method, in-situ method), and discussed the catalytic mechanism which mainly starts from two aspects, one is adsorption-desorption, the other is the bond between the catalyst, methanol, and the medium. Finally, the future challenges and opportunities of the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol are discussed.