Ethylene glycol is a potential feedstock for direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). The electro‐oxidation of ethylene glycol is, however, challenged by poor selectivity toward the complete‐oxidation product, CO₂. Herein, we report an electrocatalytic study of ethylene glycol oxidation on monodisperse and homogeneous Pt₃Sn alloy nanoparticles. The catalytic activity and selectivity toward CO₂ are evaluated under potentiostatic conditions by using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. A comparative study is performed on the alloy catalyst with surface tin (oxide) species removed through an alkaline treatment. By comparing the electrocatalytic performances of the pristine and treated Pt₃Sn catalysts, as well as commercial Pt/C, we are able to reveal the distinct roles of surface tin oxide and subsurface metallic tin species in the bimetallic electrocatalyst for complete oxidation of ethylene glycol: the former enhances the cleavage of C−C bond and the latter facilitates oxidative removal of the ^*CO intermediate.

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Pt3Sn合金纳米粒子对乙二醇氧化的电催化研究

乙二醇是直接酒精燃料电池（DAFC）的潜在原料。但是，乙二醇的电氧化受到对完全氧化产物CO ₂选择性差的挑战。在本文中，我们报告了乙二醇在单分散和均相的Pt ₃ Sn合金纳米颗粒上的电催化研究。在恒电位条件下，通过气相色谱-质谱法评估了催化活性和对CO _2的选择性。对通过碱处理去除了表面锡（氧化物）种类的合金催化剂进行了比较研究。通过比较原始和处理过的Pt ₃的电催化性能锡催化剂以及商业化的Pt / C，我们能够揭示表面氧化锡和亚表面金属锡物种在双金属电化学催化剂中完全氧化乙二醇的独特作用：前者增强了C-C键的裂解和后者有助于^* CO中间体的氧化去除。