Electrocatalysis methanol oxidation by metal nanoparticles deposited on boron-doped diamond thin film electrode

Abstract

In this research, the preparation of mono-, di-, and trimetallic catalysts deposited on boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin film electrodes and their applications towards methanol oxidation have been studied. In combination with other metals including ruthenium, rhodium, and gold, the platinum based catalysts were electrochemically deposited on the BDD electrode under potentiostatic conditions. Cyclic voltammetry was used to examine the electrocatalytic activity of the modified BDDs for the oxidation of methanol. Among the prepared electrodes, the platinum–ruthenium–rhodium/BDD showed the best catalytic performance with the anodic current of 17.58 mAcm[superscript -2] for 1.00 M methanol in 0.50 M sulfuric acid. Characterized by means of scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS), the metal particles deposited on the BDD surface were distributed in the range of nanometers.