Activity For Methanol Oxidation Research Articles

One-Pot template free synthesis of bimetallic alloy Pt-M/C (M = Fe, Co & Cu) with improved activity for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol

We prepared a simple, one-step synthesis of Pt-M (M = Co, Cu & Fe)/C supported on Vulcan-XC-72 carbon using the polyol reduction method. The morphology, structure and elemental composition of the prepared catalysts were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Electrochemical characterization including electrochemical impedance, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were studied to compare the electrochemical activity of the as-prepared catalyst with standard 20 wt % Pt/C. From transmission electron microscopy studies, the estimated average particle size for PtFe/C, PtCo/C and PtCu/C were 16, 12 and 10 nm respectively. In cyclic voltammetry studies, the PtFe/C catalyst exhibited the maximum current density for electrooxidation of methanol (14.88 mA cm−2), compared to PtCu/C (9.96 mA cm−2), PtCo/C (4.66 mA cm−2) and Pt/C (2.34 mA cm−2). Also, the negative sweep onset potential and greater If/Ib ratio verified the enhanced activity of the PtFe/C catalyst. The stability of the catalyst was studied using chronoamperometric methods, which reveals the slow decay of the prepared catalyst and higher current density for initial and final time intervals. Impedance studies confirm that the PtFe/C catalyst exhibits the smallest semicircle, suggesting a significantly higher electrooxidation rate in comparison to the other catalysts. The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared catalyst follows the order: PtFe/C > PtCu/C > PtCo/C > Pt/C.

One-Dimensional, First-Row Transition Metal, Core-Shell Architectures as Multifunctional Electrocatalysts in Alkaline and Acidic Conditions

The development of practical electrocatalysts for fuel cells, electrochemical sensors, and batteries requires nanostructured architectures with high catalytic activity and good long-term durability. It is also essential that they have very low or even no platinum content. There has also been a recent emphasis on the importance of designing multifunctional catalysts with the ability to efficiently catalyze a wide-range of electrochemical reactions in both acidic and alkaline media. In light of these requirements, we have developed a solution-based synthetic method to prepare core-shell nanowires consisting of inexpensive and abundant first-row transition metals coated with precious metal shells. The core-shell motif enables a substantial quantity of platinum to be removed from the catalytically inactive core of the material, while also resulting in the ability to tune the activity of platinum through electronic and structural interactions between the two metals. The as-synthesized core-shell nanowires have a complex surface structure that brings together metal oxide and precious metal active sites that are active toward OER and result in a significant reduction in the overpotential for OER when compared with pure Pt and Co nanowires. In addition, we have developed an electrochemical process that selectively removes the metal oxide from the surface of the nanowires enabling the catalysts to be activated toward SOM oxidation in acidic media and ORR in alkaline media. For example, the activated core-shell nanowires display a 1.5-fold and a 4-fold increase in the specific activity and mass activity of methanol oxidation, respectively, relative to a pure platinum nanowire.

Highly Dispersed PdNi Nanoparticles on an Oxygen-Functionalized Activated Carbon with Extraordinary Electrocatalytic Activity for Methanol Oxidation

Highly Dispersed PdNi Nanoparticles on an Oxygen-Functionalized Activated Carbon with Extraordinary Electrocatalytic Activity for Methanol Oxidation

Pt3Cu alloy anchored on nanoporous WO3 with high activity and stability in methanol oxidation

Designing highly efficient and durable electrode for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is crucial to commercializing direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). However, traditional Pt/C catalysts usually suffer from CO poisoning, and agglomeration of powder catalyst, which leads to rapid activity degradation. Herein, we have successfully fabricated self-supported Pt3Cu@3DP-WO3/W electrode via a facile and effective synthesis approach by combining anodic oxidation and electrodeposition method. Benefitting from the three dimensional nanoporous of WO3 with more surface area and strong adhesion, and Pt3Cu alloy synergism induced the lattice compressive strain, the Pt3Cu@3DP-WO3/W electrode achieved 2.77-fold and 4.8-fold enhancement in specific activity (2.15 mA cm−2) and mass activity (853 mA·mgPt−1) for MOR relative to Pt/C catalysts, respectively. Moreover, both the experiments and theoretical calculations revealed that the doping of Cu element weakened the chemisorption of CO-like intermediates by lowering the Pt d-band center through compressive lattice strain, which resulting in excellent catalytic stability. This binder-free self-supported electrode is a viable alternative for commercial application of DMFCs.

Electro-oxidation Reaction of Methanol over Reducible Ce1-x-yNixSryO2-δ: A Mechanistic Probe of Participation of Lattice Oxygen.

Methanol oxidation reaction crucially depends on the formation of -OOH species over the catalyst's surface. Ni-based catalysts are by far the choice of materials, where the redox couple of Ni2+/Ni3+ facilitates the formation of -OOH species by surface reconstructions. However, it is challenging to oxidize Ni2+ as it generates charge-transfer orbitals near the Fermi energy level. One possible solution is to substitute Ni2+ with a reducible oxide support, which will not only facilitate the Ni2+ → Ni3+ oxidation but also adsorb oxygenated species like -OOH at a lower potential owing to its oxophilicity. This work shows with the help of structural and surface studies that the reducible CeO2 support in Ni and Sr co-doped Ce1-x-yNixSryO2-δ solid solution can easily facilitate Ni2+ → Ni3+ oxidation as well as evolution of lattice oxygen during the methanol oxidation reaction. While the Ni3+ species helped in formation of -OOH surface intermediates, the evolved lattice oxygen eased the CO oxidation process in order to bring out the better CO-tolerant methanol oxidation activity over Ce1-x-yNixSryO2-δ. The study shows the unique importance of the electronic interactions between the active site and support and involvement of lattice oxygen in the methanol oxidation reaction.

Synthesis of highly efficient Cu-PtRu ternary metal catalyst for methanol oxidation

Development of remarkably catalytic activity and CO resistance catalyst has become a focus for methanol oxidation. In this study, the irregular polyhedral of Cu was synthesized by simple electrochemical deposition method. Then Pt-Ru alloy nanoclusters were uniformly deposition on Cu polyhedra to prepare Cu-PtRu ternary alloy materials. The morphology and structure of the ternary alloy were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical results showed that Cu-PtRu exhibited favorable catalytic capacity and high CO resistance for methanol oxidation. In various proportion of Pt-Ru, Cu-Pt5.2Ru1 showed the highest electrocatalytic activity (638.2 mA mgPt−1) for methanol oxidation, which was 2.2 and 2.84 folds relative to commercial Pt/C (Pt wt.20%) and PtRu/C (Pt wt.30%), respectively. Therefore, Cu-Pt5.2Ru1 might be used as a novel structure electro-catalyst for methanol oxidation.

Enhanced methanol oxidation activity of porous layered Ni/CeO2@CN nanocomposites in alkaline medium

The performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) partly depends on the development of economical and efficient methanol oxidation catalyst. Here, porous layered Ni/CeO2@CN-T composites were prepared by complexation and pyrolysis two-step methods. The optimal Ni/CeO2@CN-600 for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) requires only 1.361 V at the current density (j) of 10 mA cm−2, and the j is as high as 229.56 mA cm−2 at 1.642 V, superior to those of the nickel-based catalysts reported. The excellent properties of Ni/CeO2@CN-600 are mainly attributed to the electronic interaction between Ni and CeO2, the uniform dispersion of Ni and CeO2 nanoparticles and its porous layered structure. Meanwhile, it has better stability after 12 h i-t tests. The CO poisoning experiments showed that the anti-CO poisoning ability of Ni/CeO2@CN-600 was obviously stronger than that of Pt/C catalyst in alkaline medium. Finally, the density functional theory (DFT) calculation shows the superior activity of Ni/CeO2 catalysts for MOR is mainly attributed to the higher adsorption energy of Ni/CeO2 for CH3OH and the lower energy barrier.

Hierarchical N-doped carbon nanofiber-loaded NiCo alloy nanocrystals with enhanced methanol electrooxidation for alkaline direct methanol fuel cells

The high catalytic activity of non-precious metals in alkaline media opens a new direction for the development of alkaline direct methanol fuel cell (ADMFC) electrocatalysts. Herein, a highly dispersed N-doped carbon nanofibers (CNFs) -loaded NiCo non-precious metal alloy electrocatalyst based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) was prepared, which conferred excellent methanol oxidation activity and resistance to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning through a surface electronic structure modulation strategy. The porous electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and the P-electron conjugated structure of polyaniline chains provide fast charge transfer channels, enabling electrocatalysts with abundant active sites and efficient electron transfer. The optimized NiCo/N-CNFs@800 was tested as an anode catalyst for ADMFC single cell and exhibited a power density of 29.15 mW cm−2. Due to the fast charge transfer and mass transfer brought by its one-dimensional porous structure and the synergistic effect between NiCo alloy, NiCo/N-CNFs@800 is expected to be an economical, efficient and CO-resistant methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) electrocatalyst.

Standalone nickel layered double hydroxide and nickel oxide electrodes as effective anodes in alkaline direct methanol fuel cell

Direct methanol fuel cell is an emerging energy transformation system with the prospect of substituting secondary batteries soon due to their exciting features. One of the most limitations is the weak catalytic activity of the expensive nonprecious Pt-based catalysts at the fuel cell's anode. In this work, a standalone Nickel layered double hydroxide of hierarchical nanosheet structure was effectively synthesized on the nickel foam's surface through facile hydrothermal treatment that subsequently converted into NiO without destroying the structure by heat treatment at 500 °C. The synthesized standalone electrodes demonstrated a significant activity for methanol oxidation with an onset potential of 0.35 V in KOH (1 M), which is attributed to the Ni(OH)2 (Ni+2)/(Ni+3) NiOOH active site. The electrodes effectively discharged current at 0.5 V for more than 1 h with no performance degradation compared to the bare nickel foam. The better activity of the synthesized electrodes was attributed to the nanosheet structure layer's better charge and mass transfers, as confirmed by the morphological images (SEM images) and the electrochemical characteristics (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry, and cyclic voltammetry).

One-step production of Pt–CeO2/N-CNTs electrocatalysts with high catalytic performance toward methanol oxidation

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) prepared by carbonization of polypyrrole nanotubes (PPy-NTs) are used as supports. Pt–CeO2/N-CNTs electrocatalysts are successfully prepared by in-situ growth of Pt and CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) via a one-step coupling method of co-deposition and ethylene glycol reduction. Through structural characterization and electrochemical tests of the prepared electrocatalysts, the effects of preparation conditions on the structure of the electrocatalysts and their electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation were systematically investigated. The results verify that the Pt–CeO2/N-CNTs electrocatalysts were prepared using N-CNTs calcined at 700 °C as a support and 15 mM alkali concentration. They have the largest electrochemical active area and methanol oxidation mass activity of 85 m2 g−1(Pt) and 722 A g−1(Pt), respectively. Furthermore, the electrochemical stability and anti-CO poisoning performance of the electrocatalysts are significantly better than those of the commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts. The highly-dispersed Pt and CeO2 in Pt–CeO2/N-CNTs, a large number of N sites, and the synergistic action of Pt, CeO2, and N-CNTs result in a catalyst with excellent electrocatalytic activity, stability, and resistance to CO poisoning. The support structure and the dispersion of Pt and CeO2 can be controlled by changing the preparation conditions, which provides a basis for the industrial application of direct methanol fuel cells.

Pt nanoparticles in polyelectrolyte multilayers: Polymer effects on the electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation

The layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique is a simple and versatile tool for the controlled chemical conversion of metal ions into nanoparticles. In this work, we prepared LbL thin films containing Pt nanoparticles electroactive towards electro-oxidation of methanol by a two-step process, involving the exchange of different Pt precursor ions into the film, followed by their chemical reduction. We addressed the influence of the Pt precursor (Pt(NH3)42+ and PtCl62−) and polyelectrolyte-pairs (poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)/Nafion and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)) on the properties and electrocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles. NPs synthesized from Pt(NH3)42+ outperformed those growth from PtCl62−, the precursor used in previous works to prepared Pt NPs within LbL films. The combination of Pt(NH3)42+ and PDDA/Nafion films produced the best electrocatalytical performance with a specific activity of 0.8 mA.cm−2Pt. By varying the number of exchange/reduction cycles (n) between 1 and 5, a marked increase in the catalytic activity was observed for the first 2 cycles, followed by a saturation regime. The peak potential of the Pt/Pt oxide peak also increases in the first cycles and approaches a constant value close to that of a bulk Pt electrode coated with PDDA/Nafion. These behaviors are explained in terms of a strong polymer-Pt surface interaction that decreases with increasing n and stabilizes for n > 2.

Vesicular AuPd alloy nanowires for enhanced electrocatalytic activity

Developing excellent fuel cells requires complex design and precise tuning of catalyst structure and composition. This paper presents a simple approach to fabricate AuPd vesicular nanowires (VNWs) with controlled composition. The method uses homogeneous Te nanowires (NWs) as templates and reducing agents in the replacement reaction and NaClO as etching agent. Bimetallic synergism and rich catalytic sites in the vesicular nanowires give AuPd catalysts the excellent electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation. In particular, the Au28Pd71 VNWs showed the highest electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation, and its highest mass current density was1.278 A mg−1, which was 1.22 and 1.65 times that of Pt VNWs and commercial Pt/C, separately. Furthermore, Au28Pd71 VNWs exhibited good stability after 2000 cycles, maintaining an initial mass current density of 85.2%. As the optimal component ratio, Au28Pd71 exhibited superior electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation. This discovery demonstrated a new approach for the programming and fabrication of senior methanol fuel cells electrocatalysts.

Oxidation of Methanol and Dichloromethane on TiO2-CeO2-CuO, TiO2-CeO2 and TiO2-CuO@VUKOPOR®A Ceramic Foams.

The application-attractive form of TiO2, CeO2 and CuO-based open-cell foam supported catalysts was designed to investigate their catalytic performance in oxidation of two model volatile organic compounds-methanol and dichloromethane. TiO2-CeO2, TiO2-CuO and TiO2-CeO2-CuO catalysts as thin films were deposited on VUKOPOR®A ceramic foam using a reverse micelles-controlled sol-gel method, dip-coating and calcination. Three prepared catalytic foams were investigated via light-off tests in methanol and dichloromethane oxidation in the temperature range of 45-400 °C and 100-500 °C, respectively, at GHSV of 11, 600 h-1, which fits to semi-pilot/industrial conditions. TiO2-CuO@VUKOPOR®A foam showed the best catalytic activity and CO2 yield in methanol oxidation due to its low weak Lewis acidity, high weak basicity and easily reducible CuO species and proved good catalytic stability within 20 h test. TiO2-CeO2-CuO@VUKOPOR®A foam was the best in dichloromethane oxidation. Despite of its lower catalytic activity compared to TiO2-CeO2@VUKOPOR®A foam, its highly-reducible -O-Cu-Ce-O- active surface sites led to the highest CO2 yield and the highest weak Lewis acidity contributed to the highest HCl yield. This foam also showed the lowest amount of chlorine deposits.

Chemical Surface Grafting of Pt Nanocatalysts for Reconciling Methanol Tolerance with Methanol Oxidation Activity.

A conceptual challenge toward more versatile direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) is the design of a single material electrocatalyst with high activity and durability for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). This requires to conciliate methanol tolerance not to hinder ORR at the cathode with a good MOR activity at the anode. This is especially incompatible with Pt materials. We tackled this challenge by deriving a supramolecular concept where surface-grafted molecular ligands regulate the Pt-catalyst reactivity. ORR and MOR activities of newly reported Pt-calix[4]arenes nanocatalysts (Pt NPs/C) are compared to commercial benchmark PtNPs/C. Pt NPs/C exhibit a remarkable methanol tolerance without losing the MOR reactivity along with outstanding durability and chemical stability. Beyond designing single-catalyst material, operable in DMFC cathodic and anodic compartments, the results highlight a promising strategy for tuning interfacial properties.

Adjusting the Near-Surface Composition of Pt–Zn Intermetallic Nanoparticles to Enhance Methanol Oxidation Activity and Stability

Platinum-based materials are promising catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), but it is challenging to balance activity and stability in actual application. Thus, in our work, the graphitized porous carbon (PC) with a high specific surface area and hierarchical porous structure was successfully prepared as the supported material. Disordered A1-PtZn NPs supported on PC was synthesized via one-step coreduction method at 300 °C and H2 atmosphere. Afterward, an ordered PtZn intermetallic compound (L10-PtZn/PC) was acquired at a higher annealing treatment of 600 °C for 12 h, and L10-PtZn/PC-acid with Pt-skin was also obtained via acid etching. The smaller PtZn nanoparticles (ca. < 5 nm) can be synthesized and distributed on the PC homogeneously. The L10-PtZn/PC-acid catalysts display a high order degree and stronger electronic interaction between Pt and Zn atoms, which is favorable for withstanding CO poisoning in MOR. Thus, the L10-PtZn/PC-acid catalyst has a mass activity of 1130 mA mgPt–1 and a specific activity of 2.23 mA cm–2, which are 3.0 and 2.2 times higher than commercial Pt/C. Additionally, the Pt-skin of L10-PtZn/PC-acid can provide a protection for subsurface Zn and keep the structural stability effectively. Therefore, after 2000 cycles of cyclic voltammetry, the L10-PtZn/PC-acid sample remains 86.62% of the initial peak current density, while commercial Pt/C only retains 47.65%. In situ FTIR studies have demonstrated that the OHads species easily absorbed on the Zn atoms and facilitates a direct pathway without CO in the MOR on the intermetallic PtZn. This work provides a novel strategy to develop an ideal near-surface composition Pt-based nanocatalyst with high activity and stability for direct methanol fuel cells.

Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of Pt-SnO2 nanoparticles supported on natural bentonite-functionalized reduced graphene oxide-extracted chitosan from shrimp wastes for methanol electro-oxidation

In this work, tin (IV) oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were synthesized based on Amaranthus spinosus plant. The produced graphene oxide by a modified Hummers’ method was functionalized with melamine (mRGO) and used accompanied by natural bentonite (Bnt) and extracted chitosan from shrimp wastes to prepare Bnt-mRGO-CH. This was utilized as novel support for anchoring Pt and SnO2 nanoparticles to prepare the novel Pt-SnO2/Bnt-mRGO-CH catalyst. The crystalline structure, morphology and uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the prepared catalyst were determined by TEM images and XRD technique. The electrocatalytic performance of the Pt-SnO2/Bnt-mRGO-CH catalyst was evaluated for methanol electro-oxidation through electrochemical investigations including cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry techniques. Pt-SnO2/Bnt-mRGO-CH showed enhanced catalytic activity compared to Pt/Bnt-mRGO-CH and Pt/Bnt-CH catalysts considering its higher electrochemically active surface area, higher mass activity, and better stability for methanol oxidation. SnO2/Bnt-mRGO and Bnt-mRGO nanocomposites were also synthesized and did not show any significant activity for methanol oxidation. The results showed that Pt-SnO2/Bnt-mRGO-CH could be a promising catalyst as anode material in direct methanol fuel cells.

Methyl orange-modified Au nanoparticles supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes as an electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation

The most stable metal-gold (Au) is not usually used as a catalyst component. To explore the catalytic activity of Au, Au colloidal nanoparticles were synthesized by a photochemical method and modified by methyl orange (MO) into modified Au colloidal nanoparticles solution (Au-MO). Then, Au-MO/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (Au-MO/MWCNTs) catalysts were obtained by supporting the Au-MO on the MWCNTs. The structure characterization revealed that MO attracts the electrons of Au, and electron transfer occurs from the Au nanoparticles to MO in the Au-MO/MWCNTs catalyst. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that Au-MO/MWCNTs have a distinctly higher electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation than that of the Au/MWCNT catalyst. It was found that the improved electrocatalytic activity of the Au-MO/MWCNTs is derived from the electron transfer from the Au nanoparticles to MO.

Synthesis of PtAu Alloy Nanocrystals Supported on Three-Dimensional Carbon with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Properties

Sub-nanosized PtAu particles within three-dimensional carbon materials were obtained via a mercaptosilane-assisted preparation method. This strategy can effectively control the size of PtAu particles while avoiding the use of an additional carbon precursor. The as-synthesized three-dimensional carbon (3D carbon) material possesses excellent properties compared to other carbon materials. PtAu particles on three-dimensional carbon (PtAu/3D carbon) exhibited superior activities for methanol oxidation and hydrogen evolution reactions compared to Pt/3D carbon and a commercial Pt/Carbon (Pt/C) catalyst. Specifically, the methanol peak current density on PtAu/3D carbon was almost 2.3 times higher than that of Pt/3D carbon and 1.9 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C. The Tafel slopes of PtAu/3D carbon, Pt/3D carbon, and the commercial Pt/C were approximately 112, 124, and 106 mV dec−1, respectively, demonstrating that electrochemical desorption is the rate-limiting step in the hydrogen evolution reaction of the as-synthesized catalysts.

Directing Energy Flow in Core-Shell Nanostructures for Efficient Plasmon-Enhanced Electrocatalysis.

Conjugating plasmonic metals with catalytically active materials with controlled configurations can harness their light energy harvesting ability in catalysis. Herein, we present a well-defined core-shell nanostructure composed of an octahedral Au nanocrystal core and a PdPt alloy shell as a bifunctional energy conversion platform for plasmon-enhanced electrocatalysis. The prepared Au@PdPt core-shell nanostructures exhibited significant enhancements in electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions under visible-light irradiation. Our experimental and computational studies revealed that the electronic hybridization of Pd and Pt allows the alloy material to have a large imaginary dielectric function, which can efficiently induce the shell-biased distribution of plasmon energy upon illumination and, hence, its relaxation at the catalytically active region to promote electrocatalysis.

Electrocatalytic Activities of a Platinum Nanostructured Electrode Modified by Gold Adatom toward Methanol and Glycerol Electrooxidation in Acid and Alkaline Media.

For practical applications such as fuel cells, it is important to exploit electrocatalysis with high activity for methanol and glycerol oxidation. A platinum nanostructured electrode (PtNPs) is modified by gold adatoms and is created by application of a square wave potential regime to a tantalum surface electrode. In nanostructured platinum, the structure and the surface properties are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). In acid and alkaline media, the CV and Chronoamperometric (CA) are studied to investigate the catalytic activity of the PtNPs nanoparticles for the electrooxidation of methanol and glycerol. The prepared nanostructured platinum on a tantalum electrode was allowed to balance an open circuit with a 1.0×10-3 M solution containing an Au ion. Consequently, the proximity of the irreversibly adsorbed Au-adatoms on the already described Pt-nanostructured electrode. In acidic and alkaline solutions, the electrocatalytically activities toward methanol and glycerol oxidation were evaluated and is found to strongly on the surface of the gold-modified PtNPs. The PtNPs modified by Au electrode system used direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and direct glycerol fuel cell (DGFC). The DMFC and DGFC are much higher than in acid output in alkaline. Comparison of the i-E curves of nanostructure platinum electrode with that of a platinum nanostructure electrode modified by Au under similar conditions for the letter, the charge under the peak (i-E curve) in the oxidation region was higher. Furthermore, rough chronoamperometric measurements confirmed the results. The results of showed that the electrocatalytic properties of the nanostructured prepared surface were enhanced by the inclusion of gold adatoms with a variable extent of advancement. The current peak (Ip) and the current chronoamperometric (ICA) of glycerol oxidation on the PtNPs electrode modified by Au in acid media (130 mA/cm2, 47 µA/cm2) were higher than those of the bare PtNPs electrode and in alkaline media (171 mA/cm2, 66 µA/cm2). The stronger catalytic behavior in alkaline media of the Au-PtNP electrode indicates its promising use in alkaline direct alcohol cells.