Effects of Cerium Oxides on the Catalytic Performance of Pd/CNT for Methanol Oxidation

The carbon nanotubes supported palladium (Pd/CNT) nanocatalysts were modified by cerium oxides/hydroxides and their catalytic performances for methanol oxidation were evaluated. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the introduction of cerium remarkably improves the catalytic activity of Pd/CNT catalysts towards methanol oxidation. X-Ray photoelectron spectra results reveal an interaction between palladium and cerium oxides. It is also observed that cerium-modified catalysts have excellent poison resistances, which is attributed to the poison-removal ability of cerium oxides/hydroxides. The highly oxidized cerium oxides/hydroxides have a strong ability to inhibit the accumulation of carbonaceous intermediates on the active sites of Pd catalysts.