Unique CO-tolerance of Pt-WOx materials

Well-defined tungsten-oxide-supported platinum nanoparticles (Pt/WOx) were elaborated by impregnation-reduction of a platinum salt onto commercial monoclinic WO3. Field-emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the Pt particles are well-distributed on the oxide support, present a narrow particle size distribution centered on ca. 2–3 nm and a low degree of agglomeration. Carbon black was added to ensure electronic percolation in the electrodes during the electrochemical measurements. COads electrooxidation currents were monitored at potentials as low as 0.1 V vs. RHE on Pt/WOx, demonstrating high CO-tolerance compared to carbon-supported Pt or PtRu catalysts.