A graphitic carbon nitride–titania nanocomposite as a promising catalyst support for electro-oxidation of methanol

The influence of catalyst support in the field of electrocatalysis is a fascinating area of materials research. The appropriate catalyst support can greatly enhance the catalytic activity of the catalyst either by reducing the activation energy of adsorption or by removing the byproduct of reaction. Here in this work, a graphitic carbon nitride–titania nanocomposite has been successfully synthesized through a facile, single step solvothermal treatment and employed as a catalyst support for electro-oxidation of methanol. The role of supporting catalyst in the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol is evidenced by the increased mass activity of methanol oxidation reaction. The synergistic effects in the catalyst support arise from the versatile architecture of the composite and the presence of Ti–OH on the surface which assists in the oxidation and removal of adsorbed intermediates which poisons the platinum catalyst. The composite showed a high mass activity of 210 mA mg−1 at 1.03 V for methanol oxidation in acidic media which is higher than that of commercial Pt/C in the absence of catalyst support.