Tailored PEO synthesis and in-situ ATR-FTIR study of PtSnO 2 /Nb coral-like structures for application in ethanol electrooxidation

Coupling the electrooxidation of organic compounds (EOO) with hydrogen evolution can be a sustainable way for green hydrogen production, and therefore it 's of great interest to the development of suitable electrocatalysts for efficient EOO. In this study, we present the successful solvothermal synthesis of a Pt-based electrocatalyst for an ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), using a coral-like structure as substrate which was prepared by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) on a metallic niobium. Chemical analysis revealed the predominance of SnO 2 in the PEO structure, while Pt doping demonstrated selectivity on the surface of the electrocatalyst. Cyclic voltammograms indicate a high electrochemically active surface area (122.45 m 2 gPt -1 ), with an onset potential of 0.27 V vs. SHE. In-situ spectroelectrochemical analysis confirm the efficient ethanol electrooxidation with remarkable selectivity in C-C bond cleavage. The prepared electrocatalyst stands out as a promising contribution to advances in green hydrogen production by coupling EOR with hydrogen evolution.