Photochemical Synthesis of Radiate Titanium Oxide Microrods Arrays Supporting Platinum Nanoparticles for Photoassisted Electrooxidation of Methanol

Abstract Photoassisted catalysis is recently adopted to accelerate the kinetics of the methanol oxidation, which allows the photocatalysis and electrocatalysis simultaneously occur on the catalyst surface and even on interior region. The rational design of highly efficient photoassisted electrocatalysts is highly desirable, however, it is very challenging. In this study, architectures of radiate TiO 2 microrods arrays support Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs/TiO 2 MRs) are developed, via the combination of first hydrothermal and subsequent photodeposition process. Benefited from the synergetic effect of photocatalytic acceleration and the radiate architectures, the mass activity of Pt NPs/TiO 2 MRs for methanol electrooxidation, under UV irradiation (wavelength: 365 nm), is 2.77 and 6.1 times as high as those of Pt NPs/TiO 2 MRs without irradiation and commercial Pt/C, respectively. Moreover, under UV irradiation, both the CO tolerance and durability of the Pt NPs/TiO 2 MRs catalysts are significantly improved. Notably, in both acidic and alkaline media, the Pt NPs/TiO 2 MRs catalysts show improved electrocatalytic performance for photoassisted electrooxidation of methanol. This study provides a building art toward 3D architectures of radiate semiconductor MRs arrays supporting metallic NPs, and offers an effective way to improve the electrochemical activity of methanol oxidation utilizing the synergistic combination of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis.