Synthesis and Durability of Highly Dispersed Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Ordered Mesoporous Carbon and Their Electrocatalytic Properties for Ethanol Oxidation

In this work, we develop a novel method to prepare a well-dispersed platinum precursor in the modified mesoporous carbon-46 (MPC) by using a simple melt-diffusion strategy. After the Pt precursor was reduced by hydrogen gas, almost 100% platinum nanoparticle catalysts (Pt/MPC) were confined in the pores of MPC. Physical (XRD, HRTEM, and BET), electrochemical, and in situ FTIR spectroscopic methods were used to investigate the properties of the Pt/MPC. The HRTEM image illustrates that Pt nanoparticles (NPs) of ca. 2-3 nm are loaded inside the small mesopores of the pore walls and NPs of ca. 5-6 nm are in the mesochannels of the MPC, and the Pt loading in Pt/MPC is 35 wt %. In comparison with the commercial Pt/C catalysts (40 wt %, Johnson Matthey), the Pt/MPC displays a high activity toward ethanol oxidation. The Pt/MPC exhibits also a high durability after a long-time potential scan: the loss of catalytic surface area is only 4.73% for Pt/MPC, whereas it is 14.75% for Pt/C. Moreover, in situ FTIR studies demonstrate that the Pt/MPC can promote the cleavage of the C-C bond of ethanol.