CeO2 nanorods with high energy surfaces as electrocatalytical supports for methanol electrooxidation

Abstract Uniform CeO 2 nanorods (CeO 2 -r) and CeO 2 nanoparticles (CeO 2 -p) are synthesized by hydrothermal method and are used as supports to load Pt nanoparticles (indexed as Pt/CeO 2 -r & Pt/CeO 2 -p) for methanol electrooxidation. HRTEM images indicate that the synthesized CeO 2 -r are covered by (1 0 0) and (1 1 0) facets which own higher surface energy compared to CeO 2 -p with (1 1 1) facets. Electrochemical characterizations demonstrate Pt/CeO 2 -r shows excellent specific activity which is 1.6 and 10 times higher than Pt/CeO 2 -p and commercial Pt/C (indexed as Pt/C-JM) towards electrooxidation of methanol. By in-situ FTIR spectroscopic investigation, much higher CO 2 productivity is observed at low potential on Pt/CeO 2 -r that implies strong anti-poisoning ability during methanol electrooxidation. The significant improved electrocatalytical performance is attributed to the existence of CeO 2 nanorods with high energy surfaces.