Electrocatalytic selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid over efficient Pt/CNTs-CeO2 catalysts

• Novel Pt/CNTs-CeO 2 was developed for glycerol electrooxidation. • CeO 2 provided strong electronic interaction with Pt nanoparticles. • Pt/CNTs-CeO 2 delivered superior anti-poisoning capability. • High glycerol conversion and glyceric acid selectivity was obtained around mild reaction condition. Pt/CNTs-CeO 2 electrocatalysts are prepared by the electrodeposition method and used for the selective oxidation of glycerol to produce glyceric acid (GLYA). By introducing CeO 2 to Pt/CNTs catalyst, the electronic structure of Pt is modulated and anti-poisoning ability is improved, which leads to the high electrocatalytic performance and stability of Pt/CNTs-CeO 2 catalyst. The conversion of glycerol on the Pt/CNTs-CeO 2 electrode reaches 55.3 % after applying 0.8 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode for 4 h, and the GLYA selectivity can achieve 58.8% under such mild reaction conditions..