Synthesis of SDS-Modified Pt/TiCT Nanocomposite Catalysts and Electrochemical Performance for Ethanol Oxidation.

It is well-known that platinum (Pt) is still the preferred material of anode catalyst in ethanol oxidation, however, the prohibitive high cost and CO poisoning of Pt metal impede the commercialization of fuel cells. Therefore, improving the utilization rate of catalysts and reduce the cost of catalyst become one of the most concerned focus in the construction of fuel cells. In this work, the Pt-based catalysts are synthesized by using different content of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) modified-TiCT support, and the dispersion regulation function of SDS modified-TiCT supported on Pt nanoparticles is investigated. The structure, composition and morphology of different catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM, respectively. It is found that the Pt nanoparticles in pure TiCT surface are serious aggregated and show poor dispersion, whereas the Pt nanoparticles in SDS modified-TiCT have a better dispersion. The electrochemical results revealed that SDS modified-TiCT supported Pt nanoparticles has higher electrocatalytic activity and stability in both acidic and alkaline ethanol oxidation when the dosage of SDS increases to 100 mg. These findings indicate that the SDS-TiCT/Pt catalysts show a promising future of potential applications in fuel cells with modification of TiCT support.