Electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and ethanol at carbon ceramic electrode modified with platinum nanoparticles

The use of carbon ceramic electrode (CCE) modified with platinum particles was studied for the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and ethanol by cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. After preparation of a carbon ceramic as an electrode matrix by sol-gel technique, its surface was potentiostatically coated with Pt nanoparticles at -0.2 V vs. SCE in an aqueous solution of 0.1 M H2SO4 containing 0.002 M H2PtCl6. The electrocatalyst was characterized by XRD, SEM and cyclic voltammetry. The effective parameters on electrocatalytic oxidation of the alcohols, i.e. the amount Pt loadings, medium temperature and working potential limit in anodic direction were investigated and the results were discussed. This modified electrode showed an enhanced current density over the other Pt-modified electrodes making it more attractive for fuel cell applications. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.