Nano Titania Modified Nanodiamonds as Stable Electrocatalyst Supports for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Nano titania modified nanodiamond (TiO2/ND) was prepared by a microwave hydrolysis method, and then platinum nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on the TiO2/ND support using a microwave-assisted polyol method. TiO2/ND supported Pt (Pt/TiO2/ND) electrocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It was found that anatase TiO2 NPs with the sizes of 4 similar to 8 nm were distributed on the ND surface uniformly, and Pt NPs highly dispersed on the TiO2/ND support. The electrochemical results showed that the Pt/TiO2/ND catalyst possessed higher electrocatalytic activity for MOR compared with the Pt/ND in acid medium. A high stability of Pt/TiO2/ND catalyst was ascribed to an anchoring effect of the TiO2 layer and a high stability of the TiO2/ND support in acid solution. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.