Investigation of PdSn nanometals alloy supported on spherical TiO2 for methanol electro-oxidation

Abstract A novel PdSn/TiO 2 electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation is fabricated by the surface reductive deposition method using spherical TiO 2 nanoparticles as support. The structural and electrochemical properties of the PdSn/TiO 2 catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical analysis. Under appropriate composition and uniform dispersion of PdSn alloy nanoparticles on the surface of the TiO 2 , the new catalyst has shown promising electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and anti-poisoning ability. The MOR mechanism of the PdSn/TiO 2 catalyst mainly results from the photocatalytic process of composite TiO 2 material that has high catalytic activity without ultraviolet light illumination. The PdSn/TiO 2 catalyst might become a promising candidate for direct methanol fuel cell.