Pt–Pd Bifunctional Catalysts Supported on CeO2/Graphene Oxide for Reinforced Methanol Electro-oxidation

In this work, the CeO 2 nanoparticles were dispersed onto the surface of graphene oxide (GO), followed by electrodeposition of Pt–Pd alloy nanoparticles on the CeO 2 surface to fabricate Pt–Pd@CeO 2 /graphene oxide composites (Pt–Pd@CeO 2 /GO). Morphological investigation was conducted using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of morphological characterization revealed that CeO 2 nanoparticles acted as cores, while Pt–Pd alloy nanoparticles formed shells. The electrocatalytic oxidation performance of Pt–Pd@CeO 2 /GO composites for methanol electro-oxidation reaction (MOR) was systematically investigated. The mass activity for MOR on Pt 1 Pd 1.3 @CeO 2 /GO electrocatalyst was 1128 mA·mg Pt+Pd −1 , which was 5.0-fold higher than that of Pt/C catalysts. The synergistic effect between Pt and Pd, along with the active oxygen-containing species of CeO 2 effectively enhanced catalytic activity. This work presents a novel approach to developing catalysts with high catalytic performance for MOR. Graphical Abstract