Spatially resolved 195Pt NMR of carbon-supported PtRu electrocatalysts: local electronic properties, elemental composition, and catalytic activity

While bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) offer greater tunability of their catalytic performance than their monometallic counterparts, their detailed mechanistic characterizations are still of a great challenging prospect, particularly at nanoscale. In this paper, we describe a unique (195)Pt nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based in situ technique that in principle enables us to access local elemental composition and electronic information across the dimension of the Pt-based NPs with decent spatial resolution. When combined with electrochemical analysis, it opens a way to correlate the local elemental composition and electronic properties with the catalytic activity of the bimetallic NPs. Specifically, from the (195)Pt NMR analysis we concluded that (1) for the PtRu/carbon nanofibers, Ru segregates at the surface while Pt does so inside the NPs; (2) alloying Ru substantially reduces the E(F) local density of states (LDOS) at the Pt atoms; (3) the larger variation in s-like E(F) LDOS at the surface region of the PtRu/graphite nanofibers may imply a higher diversity of catalytic sites available for reactions, therefore explains the observed higher reactivity in methanol electro-oxidation.     

High‐Efficiency Encapsulation of Pt Nanoparticles into the Channel of Carbon Nanotubes as an Enhanced Electrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation

Pt‐based nanostructures serving as anode catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) have been widely studied for many years. Nevertheless, challenging issues such as poor reaction kinetics and the short‐term stability of the MOR are the main drawbacks of such catalysts and limit their applications. Herein, we have developed a facile approach to encapsulate Pt nanoparticles (NPs) inside the nanochannels of porous carbon nanotubes (CNTs; Pt‐in‐CNTs) as a new enhanced electrocatalytic material. The as‐prepared CNTs offer simultaneously ordered diffusion channels for ions and a confinement effect for the NPs, which both facilitate the promotion of catalytic kinetics and avoid the Ostwald ripening of Pt NPs, thus leading to high activity and durable cycle life as an anode catalyst for MOR. This work provides a new approach for enhancing the stability and activity by optimizing the structure of the catalyst, and the Pt‐in‐CNTs represent the most durable catalysts ever reported for MOR.     

Polyoxometalate-stabilized Pt nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic activities

The synthesis of long-term stable polyoxometalate (POM)-stabilized Pt nanoparticles (NPs) is described here. By means of controlled bulk electrolysis, the reduced POM anions, SiW(12)O(40)(4-) (or SiW(12)) and H(2)W(12)O(40)(6-) (or H(2)W(12)), respectively, served the dual role of reductant and protecting/stabilizing ligand for the Pt NPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images confirmed the formation of 3 to 4 nm sized Pt NPs, which coincidently was in the same size range of the commercial Pt black that was used as a reference. Elemental XPS analyses showed W/Pt ratios of 0.12 for the SiW(12)- and 0.18 for the H(2)W(12)-stabilized Pt NPs, but found no evidence of the presence of Cl(-) anion in the samples. Controlled electrochemical (EC), UV-Vis, and IR data provided unambiguous evidence for the structural integrity of the POM anions on the Pt NP surface. CO stripping, methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were used to assess their electrocatalytic activities. It was found that both SiW(12)- and H(2)W(12)-stabilized Pt NPs showed enhanced activities in MOR and ORR as compared to that of Pt black, with the latter having higher enhancement. These observations clearly demonstrated that the stabilizing POM anions have a profound influence on the electrocatalytic activity of the underlying Pt NPs.     

Electrocatalytic properties of Au@Pt nanoparticles: effects of Pt shell packing density and Au core size

A detailed study of electrocatalytic properties of Au@Pt nanoparticles (NPs) as functions of Pt shell packing density and Au core size in terms of CO/methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions is reported here. While most samples studied showed inferior catalytic activities to those of the commercial Pt black that fall reasonably well in a d-band-center up-shift (i.e., stronger surface bonding) regime, the steepest activity recovery trend as manifested by the smallest Au-core samples suggests a plausible transition to a d-band-center down-shift (i.e., weaker surface bonding) regime as the Au core becomes smaller.     

Identifying the active photocatalytic H2-production sites on TiO2-supported Pt nanoparticles by the in-situ infrared spectrum of CO

Identifying the active catalytic centers on catalyst surface is significant for exploring the catalytic reaction mechanism and further guiding the synthesis of high-performance catalysts.However,it remains a challange in developing the site-specific technology for the identification of the active catalytic centers.Herein,in-situ infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO,photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) test and theoretical simulation were used to distinguish and quantify the different surface sites and their H2-production catalytic activity on TiO_2-supported Pt nanoparticles(Pt NPs).Two different types of surface Pt sites,tip Pt(Pt_(tip)) and edge/terrace Pt_(edge/terrace),on TiO_2-supported Pt nanoparticles(Pt NPs) were identified.The photocatalytic H2-production activity of TiO_2-supported Pt NPs shows a linear functional relationship with the number of Pt_(tip) sites.However,the number of Pt_(edge/terracesites) produced little effect on the activity of TiO_2-supported Pt NPs.First-principle simulations confirmed that H2-evolution at the Pttipsites owns a lower energy barrier than that at Pt_(edge/terrace).This findings would be helpful for the fabrication of high-performance Pt catalysts.     

Pt 纳米颗粒在聚二甲基二烯丙基氯化铵功能化碳纳米管上的自发沉积及其对甲醇的电氧化性能

利用聚二甲基二烯丙基氯化铵(PDDA)非共价修饰的碳纳米管(CNTs)与PtCl₆^2-之间的自发氧化还原作用, 制备了Pt 纳米颗粒(Pt NPs)/CNTs-PDDA复合催化剂. PDDA在该催化剂中具有三种作用: (1) 作为金属前驱体PtCl₆^2-还原为Pt NPs 的还原剂; (2) 作为原位产生的Pt NPs 的稳定剂; (3) 在CNTs 表面形成保护膜抑制CNTs 在甲醇电催化氧化过程中的腐蚀. 采用傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱、热重分析和拉曼光谱对CNTs-PDDA进行了表征, 表明PDDA通过π-π作用已成功覆盖在CNTs 表面, 并且修饰过程没有导致CNTs 结构的破坏. 采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)对Pt NPs/CNTs-PDDA 催化剂进行了表征, 结果表明, Pt NPs 均匀地分散在CNTs上, 平均粒径约2 nm, 且粒径分布范围窄. 用循环伏安法、计时电流法进一步考察了Pt NPs/CNTs-PDDA催化剂在酸性介质中对甲醇的电催化氧化的性能. 电化学测试结果表明, 与原始CNTs 负载的Pt NPs催化剂相比,Pt NPs/CNTs-PDDA催化剂具有更高的电化学活性表面积、电催化质量比活性和稳定性.     

Pt3Te4 nanoparticles from tellurium nanowires

We report the synthesis of platinum telluride nanoparticles (Pt(3)Te(4) NPs) in the solution phase at room temperature using a template-assisted method. The dendrimeric aggregates formed are composed of several small units of Pt(3)Te(4) NPs of ～4 nm diameter. Tellurium nanowires (Te NWs) are used as the template and the reducing agent in the growth of NPs which occurs due to the galvanic replacement reaction between Te NWs and PtCl(6)(2-). Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of the dispersed Pt(3)Te(4) NPs was studied using crystal violet (CV) as the analyte. SERS sensitivity up to 10(-8) M of CV was observed. The Raman enhancement factor (EF) of adsorbed CV on NP aggregates was calculated to be 1.74 × 10(5). The catalytic ability of the as-synthesized Pt(3)Te(4) NPs for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was studied.     

高活性甲醇氧化电催化剂Pt-Pd纳米合金的组分可控合成

Pt纳米粒子由于其本身独特的物理、化学性质以及能够同时促进氧化和还原反应,在工业生产和商业设备中(尤其在直接甲醇燃料电池中)广泛用作重要的电催化剂.然而,Pt作为贵金属在自然界中的含量极其稀少,价格昂贵;另外,甲醇氧化反应中产生的中间产物CO很容易市Pt纳米粒子中毒而失活.因此,迫切需要一种Pt用量少,催化性能高的材料.一制备高活性比表面积的Pt纳米颗粒,可以有效提高Pt利用率.另外,调控纳米粒子使其裸露特定的晶面、边、角以及缺陷也能有效提升催化性能.还可以采用Pt纳米粒子结合其它金属元素形成双金属合金,如,Pt-M (M = Pd,Au,Ag,Ru,Fe,Co,Ni,等)催化剂,可以在减少Pt元素用量的同时有效提升催化活性.在众多可供选择的元素中,Pd相对于Pt价格低廉,但两者具有相近的物理、化学性质以及较高的电催化性能,使Pt-Pd纳米合金呈现十分优异的电催化性能.研究表明,Pt-Pd纳米合金在酸性和CO环境中能有效催化有机小分子电氧化过程.另外,在酸性环境中,用Pd替代Cu,Ag,Co或Ni,可以有效减少催化剂的腐蚀.本文在乙二醇溶液中同时还原K2PtCl4和Na2PdCl4,在110 ℃C反应5 h制备出超细的Pt-Pd纳米合金.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)以及能谱仪(EDS)对合金进行表征,从而确定产物为尺寸4 nm左右的Pt-Pd纳米合金,且通过改变金属前驱体的投料比可以有效调控Pt-Pd合金组分(按元素比例分别表示为Pt1Pd3,Pt1Pd1,Pt3Pd1).采用循环伏安法、线性扫描伏安法以及计时安培法等多种手段测试样品在0.5 mol/L H2SO4和0.5 mol/L CH3OH的酸性环境中(50 mV/s)电化学性能,并与商业Pt/C进行比较.结果表明,合金的催化性能和组分密切相关,当Pt元素的含量为75%左右时,Pt-Pd纳米合金表现出最佳的催化活性和稳定性,其中Pt3Pd1的电催化质量活性可达商业Pt/C的7倍之多.我们把Pt-Pd纳米合金的催化性能对其组分的依赖性归结为甲醇氧化反应中的双官能团机制,反应中,Pt可有效催化甲醇脱氢产生Pt-CO,Pd则催化水脱氢形成Pd-OH.当Pd含量减少时,Pt表面的水脱氢反应只有在高电位才能发生,从而降低催化效率;而Pd含量过多,则会抑制Pt催化甲醇的脱氢反应,使催化效率大大降低.因此,只有适宜Pt/Pd比例,才能有效提升催化效率.     

Polymerization of graphene oxide nanosheet by using of aminoclay: Electrocatalytic activity of its platinum nanohybrids

This study describes the polymerization of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet to reduced‐GO‐aminoclay (RGC) by covalent functionalization of chemically reactive epoxy groups on the basal planes of GO with amine groups of magnesium phyllosilicate clay (known as aminoclay). The resulting RGC sheets were characterized and applied to support platinum nanostructures at toluene/water interface. Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters about several nanometers were adhered to RGC sheets by chemical reduction of [PtCl₂(cod)] (cod = cis,cis‐1,5‐cyclooctadiene) complex. Catalytic activity of Pt NPs thin films were investigated in the methanol oxidation reaction. Cyclic voltammetry results exhibit that the Pt/reduced‐GO (RGO) and Pt/RGC thin films showed improved catalytic activity in methanol oxidation reaction in comparison to other Pt NPs thin films, demonstrating that the prepared Pt/RGO and Pt/RGC thin films are promising catalysts for direct methanol fuel cell.     

Green synthesis of Pt/CeO2/graphene hybrid nanomaterials with remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic properties

We developed a facile strategy for clean synthesis of Pt/CeO(2)/graphene nanomaterials with remarkably enhanced catalytic properties. The graphene oxide (GO) could be used as an oxidant to oxidize Ce(3+) into CeO(2) NPs, and l-lysine was used as a linker to realize the in situ growth of Pt NPs around CeO(2) NPs dispersed on graphene.     

氮掺杂有序介孔碳负载超小尺寸铂纳米颗粒催化硝基苯类化合物选择加氢

氮掺杂有序介孔碳材料不仅具有高的比表面积、大的孔容和均一可调的孔径等优点,其骨架中丰富的氮原子还可以对材料的物理化学性质、配位金属电荷密度等进行调控,是一类优异的催化剂载体.本文利用软模板(嵌段共聚物F127为模板),以间氨基苯酚为碳源和氮前体,制备出较高含氮量(9.58 wt%)和比表面积(417 m2/g),以及规则孔径分布的介孔碳材料.结果表明,制备的材料具有三维立方相结构.以该碳材料作为载体,使用传统浸渍氢气还原的策略负载纳米铂颗粒.发现氮掺杂的载体能够有效控制金属纳米颗粒的尺寸,可实现超小尺寸Pt纳米颗粒的有效负载(1.0±0.5 nm),且纳米颗粒均匀分布于介孔碳材料的孔道中.相比而言,使用相同负载方法的情况下,以不掺氮的介孔碳材料为载体,纳米粒子的尺寸较难控制(4.4±1.7 nm)且会发生孔道外颗粒聚集的情况.研究表明,骨架中的氮原子与金属间弱的相互作用对纳米粒子有稳定作用.这对制备超小尺寸的金属纳米粒子催化剂具有一定的指导意义.此外,由于纳米粒子的尺寸将大大影响催化剂活性中心的暴露程度,进而影响催化剂活性.因此,我们以硝基苯类化合物的氢化反应来评价该催化剂的催化性能.在室温和1 MPa H2的温和条件下,氮掺杂的介孔碳负载催化剂表现出了优异的催化性能.反应0.5 h,对氯硝基苯可完全转化,且选择性高达99%.相比而言,商业化的Pt/C催化剂上反应的转化率和选择性分别为89%和90%.其它传统催化剂的比较,如Pt/SiO2,Pt/TiO2,同样表明,氮掺杂介孔碳负载的催化剂具有更优异的催化性能.在相同反应条件下,Pt/SiO2催化剂只能得到46%的转化率和93%的选择性,而Pt/TiO2催化剂虽然能够实现完全转化,但选择性也仅为91%.由此可见,氮掺杂的负载催化剂可大大提高反应活性和选择性,能有效抑制脱氯现象的发生.这种高的催化性能可能与催化剂的介孔结构、氮功能化载体以及超小尺寸的Pt纳米粒子的稳定有关.由于氮原子和介孔孔道的限域作用,氮掺杂介孔碳负载的催化剂也具有良好的催化稳定性,循环使用10次后,催化活性和选择性几乎没有下降.结果表明,循环使用后的催化剂金属粒子尺寸变化不大,进一步表明氮掺杂介孔碳载体对金属纳米颗粒的稳定作用.     

Pt Nanoparticles Supported on a Dynamic Boronate Ester-Based G-quadruplex Hydrogel as a Nanoreactor

Herein, we have reported a dynamic boronic ester mediated guanosine (G) based G-quadruplex hydrogel as an ideal template for in situ and ‘green chemical’ approach for the synthesis and stabilization of Pt NPs. ¹¹B NMR and FT-IR spectra reveal the formation of dynamic boronate ester bonds. The TEM images of the G-quadruplex hydrogel reveal entangled three-dimensional (3D) crosslink nanofibrillar networks with average diameter of 20 nm. Similarly, AFM images of the hydrogel show dense nanofibrillar assembly with an average height of 6 nm. The in situ generated Pt NPs have been characterized using TEM and XPS techniques. The average size of the nanofiber supported Pt NPs is 1.5 nm. The Pt NPs embedded G-quadruplex hydrogel shows better mechanical stiffness than the native hydrogel as the storage modulus (G′) increases to 2250 Pa from 317.08 Pa after the in situ generation of Pt NPs. Furthermore, G-quadruplex hydrogel supported Pt NPs have been used as a catalytic system for hydrogenation reaction of different aromatic nitro compounds in aqueous medium. The use of G-quadruplex molecular system as a template for the synthesis and stabilization of metal NPs would be an interesting area of research.     

Pt微粒修饰纳米纤维聚苯胺电极对甲醇氧化电催化

以脉冲电流法制备的纳米纤维状聚苯胺(PANI)为Pt催化剂载体，用它制备了甲醇阳极氧化的催化电极Pt/（nano-fibular PANI）.研究结果表明, Pt/（nano-fibular PANI）电极对甲醇氧化具有很好的电催化活性,并有协同催化作用.在相同的Pt载量条件下， Pt/（nano-fibular PANI）电极比Pt微粒修饰的颗粒状聚苯胺电极Pt/(granular PANI)具有更好的电催化活性.此外， Pt的电沉积修饰方法同样影响Pt/（nano-fibular PANI）电极对甲醇氧化的催化活性.脉冲电流法沉积Pt形成的复合电极较循环伏安法电沉积得到的Pt复合电极具有更优异的催化活性.     

One-step synthesis of Pt nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide composite with enhanced electrochemical catalytic activity

A one-step electrochemical approach for synthesis of Pt nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide(Pt/RGO) was demonstrated.Graphene oxide(GO) and chloroplatinic acid were reduced to RGO and Pt nanoparticles(Pt NPs) simultaneously,and Pt/RGO composite was deposited on the fluorine doped SnO 2 glass during the electrochemical reduction.The Pt/RGO composite was characterized by field emission-scanning electron microscopy,Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,which confirmed the reduction of GO and chloroplatinic acid and the formation of Pt/RGO composite.In comparison with Pt NPs and RGO electrodes obtained by the same method,results of cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements showed that the composite electrode had higher catalytic activity and charge transfer rate.In addition,the composite electrode had proved to have better performance in DSSCs than the Pt NPs electrode,which showed the potential application in energy conversion.     

Polymeric Carbon Nitride/Mesoporous Silica Composites as Catalyst Support for Au and Pt Nanoparticles

Small and homogeneously dispersed Au and Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared on polymeric carbon nitride (CN_x)/mesoporous silica (SBA‐15) composites, which were synthesized by thermal polycondensation of dicyandiamide‐impregnated preformed SBA‐15. By changing the condensation temperature, the degree of condensation and the loading of CN_x can be controlled to give adjustable particle sizes of the Pt and Au NPs subsequently formed on the composites. In contrast to the pure SBA‐15 support, coating of SBA‐15 with polymeric CN_x resulted in much smaller and better‐dispersed metal NPs. Furthermore, under catalytic conditions the CN_x coating helps to stabilize the metal NPs. However, metal NPs on CN_x/SBA‐15 can show very different catalytic behaviors in, for example, the CO oxidation reaction. Whereas the Pt NPs already show full CO conversion at 160 °C, the catalytic activity of Au NPs seems to be inhibited by the CN_x support.     

Support Morphology Effect on Selective Hydrogenation of 3-Nitrostyrene to 3-Vinylaniline over Pt/α-Fe2O3 Catalysts

Selective hydrogenation of substituted nitroaromatic compounds is an extremely important and challenging reaction. Supported metal catalysts attract much attention in this reaction because the properties of metal nanoparticles (NPs) can be modified by the nature of the support. Herein, the support morphology on the catalytic performance of selective hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene to 3-vinylaniline was investigated. Pt NPs supported on octadecahedral α-Fe₂O₃ supports with a truncated hexagonal bipyramid shape (Pt/α-Fe₂O₃-O) and rod-shaped α-Fe₂O₃ supports (Pt/α-Fe₂O₃-R) were prepared by glycol reduction method. Detailed characterizations reveal that the electronic structure and dispersion of Pt NPs can be modified by the supports. The Pt/α-Fe₂O₃-O catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance for hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene because of its low coordinated Pt sites and the small Pt NPs size, which is benefit from the high-index exposed surfaces of truncated hexagonal bipyramid-shaped α-Fe₂O₃ support. The structural evolution during the catalytic reaction was investigated in detail by identical location transmission electron microscopy (IL-TEM) method, which found that the high cycling activity of Pt/α-Fe₂O₃-O catalyst during the cycle experiment results from the stability of Pt NPs.     

Ultrafine Pt Nanoclusters for the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Reactions

Controlling the size of Pt nanomaterials can be an effective route to improve their catalytic activity on a mass basis for the reactions of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). In this work we demonstrated the synthesis of ultrafine platinum nanoclusters based on the replacement reaction between Ag nanoparticles and Pt(IV) precursors. All the reactions were carried out in the presence of commercial carbon powders. The Pt/C thus formed could be directly used for catalyzing the DMFC reactions. By comparing with the commercial Pt catalysts from E-Tek, the Pt nanoclusters exhibit higher catalytic activity toward the methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction, the two key reactions in DMFC, due to their relative smaller sizes.     

Influence of ultrathin poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film supports on the electrodeposition and electrocatalytic activity of discrete platinum nanoparticles

Coating a carbon electrode surface, specifically highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) with an ultrathin film of poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, provides a support on which a high density of uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (NPs) can readily be formed by electrodeposition. The NPs tend to be much smaller, have a higher surface coverage, better dispersion and show a much lower tendency to aggregate, than Pt NPs produced under identical electrochemical conditions on HOPG alone. The electrocatalytic activity of the NPs was investigated for methanol (MeOH) and formic acid (HCOOH) oxidation. Significantly, for similarly prepared particles, Pt NP-PEDOT arrays exhibited higher catalytic activity (in terms of current density, based on the Pt area), towards MeOH oxidation, by an order of magnitude, and towards HCOOH oxidation at high potentials, than Pt NPs supported on native HOPG. These findings can be rationalised in terms of the enhanced oxidation of adsorbed CO, a key reaction intermediate and a catalyst poison. This research provides strong evidence that employing conducting polymers, such as PEDOT, as a support substrate, can greatly improve particular catalytic reactions, allowing for better catalyst utilisation in fuel cell technology.     

Influence of ultrathin poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film supports on the electrodeposition and electrocatalytic activity of discrete platinum nanoparticles

Coating a carbon electrode surface, specifically highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) with an ultrathin film of poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, provides a support on which a high density of uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (NPs) can readily be formed by electrodeposition. The NPs tend to be much smaller, have a higher surface coverage, better dispersion and show a much lower tendency to aggregate, than Pt NPs produced under identical electrochemical conditions on HOPG alone. The electrocatalytic activity of the NPs was investigated for methanol (MeOH) and formic acid (HCOOH) oxidation. Significantly, for similarly prepared particles, Pt NP-PEDOT arrays exhibited higher catalytic activity (in terms of current density, based on the Pt area), towards MeOH oxidation, by an order of magnitude, and towards HCOOH oxidation at high potentials, than Pt NPs supported on native HOPG. These findings can be rationalised in terms of the enhanced oxidation of adsorbed CO, a key reaction intermediate and a catalyst poison. This research provides strong evidence that employing conducting polymers, such as PEDOT, as a support substrate, can greatly improve particular catalytic reactions, allowing for better catalyst utilisation in fuel cell technology.

     

Electrodeposited Pt and Pt-Sn nanoparticles on Ti as anodes for direct methanol fuel cells

Electro-oxidation of methanol was studied on titanium supported nanocrystallite Pt and Pt_x-Sn_y catalysts prepared by electrodeposition techniques. Their electro-catalytic activities were studied in 0.5mol/L H₂SO₄ and compared to those of a smooth Pt, Pt/Pt and Pt-Sn/Pt electrodes. Platinum was deposited on Ti by galvanostatic and potentiostatic techniques. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques were applied in order to investigate the chemical composition and the phase structure of the modified electrodes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the surface morphology and to correlate the results obtained from the two electrochemical deposition methods. Results show that modified Pt/Ti electrodes prepared by the two methods have comparable performance and enhanced catalytic activity towards methanol electro-oxidation compared to Pt/Pt and smooth Pt electrodes. Steady state Tafel plots experiments show a higher rate of methanol oxidation on a Pt/Ti catalyst than that on a smooth Pt.  Introduction of a small amount of Sn deposited with Pt improves the catalytic activity and the stability of prepared electrode with time as indicated from the cyclic votlammetry and the chronoamperometric experiments. The effect of variations in the composition for binary catalysts of the type Pt_x-Sn_y/Ti towards the methanol oxidation reaction is reported. Consequently, the Pt_x-Sn_y/Ti (x∶y (8∶1), molar ratio) catalyst is a very promising one for methanol oxidation.