Enhancement in Ethanol Electrooxidation by SnO(x) Nanoislands Grown on Pt(111): Effect of Oxide-Metal Interface Sites
An integrated surface science and electrochemistry approach has been used to prepare and characterize SnO{sub x}/Pt(111) model catalysts and evaluate their electrochemical activity for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Nanoislands of SnO{sub x} are deposited onto the Pt(111) by reactive layer assisted deposition in which Sn metal is vapor deposited onto a Pt(111) surface precovered by NO{sub 2}. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the SnO{sub x} islands are highly reduced with Sn{sup 2+} being the dominant chemical species. After exposing the SnO{sub x}/Pt(111) surface to H{sub 2}O or an electrolyte solution, XPS provides evidence for a significant amount of H{sub 2}O/OH adsorbed on the reduced SnO{sub x} surfaces. Electrochemical testing reveals that the catalytic performance of Pt(111) toward ethanol electrooxidation is significantly enhanced with SnO{sub x} islands added onto the surface. The enhanced EOR activity is tentatively attributed to the efficient removal of CO{sub ads}-like poisoning species at Pt sites by oxygen-containing species that are readily formed on the SnO{sub x} nanoislands. Moreover, the strong dependence of the EOR activity on SnO{sub x} coverage provides experimental evidence for the importance of SnO{sub x}-Pt interface sites in the EOR.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE SC OFFICE OF SCIENCE (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 1040548
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-95369-2011-JA; R&D Project: CO-007; KC0301020; TRN: US201210%%724
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 115, Issue 33; ISSN 1932-7447
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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