Electro-oxidation of ethylene glycol on PtSn/C and PtSnNi/C electrocatalysts

A PtSn/C electrocatalyst with a Pt-Sn molar ratio of 50:50 and A PtSnNi/C electrocatalyst with a Pt-Sn-Ni molar ratio of 50:40:10 were prepared by alcohol-reduction process using ethylene glycol as solvent and reducing agent. The electrocatalysts were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. The electro-oxidation of ethylene glycol was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry using the thin porous coating technique. PtSnNi/C electrocatalyst showed a superior performance compared to PtSn/C electrocatalysts in the potential range of interest for a direct ethylene glycol fuel cell.