Abstract:
Pt/CeO
2–C catalysts with CeO
2 pre-calcined at 300–600°C were synthesized by combining hydrothermal calcination and wet impregnation. The effects of the pre-calcined CeO
2 on the performance of Pt/CeO
2–C catalysts in methanol oxidation were investigated. The Pt/CeO
2–C catalysts with pre-calcined CeO
2 at 300–600°C showed an average particle size of 2.6–2.9 nm and exhibited better methanol electro-oxidation catalytic activity than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. In specific, the Pt/CeO
2–C catalysts with pre-calcined CeO
2 at 400°C displayed the highest electrochemical surface area value of 68.14 m
2·g
−1 and
If/
Ib ratio (the ratio of the forward scanning peak current density (
If) and the backward scanning peak current density (
Ib)) of 1.26, which are considerably larger than those (53.23 m
2·g
−1 and 0.79, respectively) of the commercial Pt/C catalyst, implying greatly enhanced CO tolerance.