Surfactant-Free Synthesis of Three-Dimensional Perovskite Titania-Based Micron-Scale Motifs Used as Catalytic Supports for the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

We synthesized and subsequently rationalized the formation of a series of 3D hierarchical metal oxide spherical motifs. Specifically, we varied the chemical composition within a family of ATiO₃ (wherein “A” = Ca, Sr, and Ba) perovskites, using a two-step, surfactant-free synthesis procedure to generate structures with average diameters of ~3 microns. In terms of demonstrating the practicality of these perovskite materials, we have explored their use as supports for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) as a function of their size, morphology, and chemical composition. The MOR activity of our target systems was found to increase with decreasing ionic radius of the “A” site cation, in order of Pt/CaTiO₃ (CTO) > Pt/SrTiO₃ (STO) > Pt/BaTiO₃ (BTO). With respect to morphology, we observed an MOR enhancement of our 3D spherical motifs, as compared with either ultra-small or cubic control samples. Moreover, the Pt/CTO sample yielded not only improved mass and specific activity values but also a greater stability and durability, as compared with both commercial TiO₂ nanoparticle standards and precursor TiO₂ templates.