Catalytic Combustion of Methanol over Nano- Structured CeO2 -Pt/Fecralloy Foam Catalysts

Pt-based structured catalysts for the low-temperature combustion of methanol were prepared by pulsed electrodeposition, using Fe-Cr-Al alloy (Fecralloy) foam supports. Pt loading and surface area were measured by ICP-MS and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. Although the presence of a CeO2 film decreased the Pt surface area accessible to electrolyte it enhanced the performance of the catalysts towards methanol combustion, without affecting the activation energy of the process, due to the formation of novel active sites along the Pt-CeO2 interface of core-shell nanoparticles