Electrocatalytic enhancement of methanol oxidation by adding CeO2 nanoparticle on porous electrode

The polyaniline/polysulfone (PAN/PSF) composite films were prepared by electropolymerization, and then CeO2-Pt particles were codeposited into this composite film to obtain the CeO2-Pt-modified polyaniline/polysulfone (CeO2-Pt/PAN/PSF) electrodes. Their morphology and chemical component were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results showed that the composite film had bi-layer structure with asymmetrical pores, and platinum and cerium oxide particles were homogeneously dispersed in the modified film electrodes. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were applied to investigate the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt-CeO2/PAN/PSF electrodes. It was indicated that appropriate amount of CeO2 could enhance the catalytic activity of Pt for methanol electro-oxidation. Chronoamperometry (i-t) measurements revealed that the Pt-CeO2/PAN/PSF electrode was relatively endurable for intermediate production. In addition, different mixing amounts of Pt and CeO2 nanoparticles were also investigated in detail.