Enhanced Electrokinetics of C−C Bond Splitting during Ethanol Oxidation by using a Pt/Rh/Sn Catalyst with a Partially Oxidized Pt and Rh Core and a SnO₂ Shell

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are a promising technology for generating electricity through the electro-oxidation of liquid ethanol. Its implementation requires the development of anode catalysts capable of producing CO₂ and yielding 12-electron transfer through breaking the C−C bond of ethanol. Here, we presented comprehensive studies of the electrokinetics of CO₂ generation on Pt/Rh/Sn ternary catalysts. Our studies showed that the triphasic PtRhO_x–SnO₂ catalysts with a partially oxidized Pt and Rh core and a SnO₂ shell, validated by X-ray absorption analyses and scanning transmission electron microscope-electron energy loss spectroscopy line scans, coincided with a 2.5-fold increase in the CO₂ generation rate towards ethanol oxidation reaction, compared with the biphasic PtRh-SnO₂ catalysts with a metallic PtRh alloy core and commercial Pt. These studies provided insight into the design of a new genre of electrocatalysts with a partially oxidized noble metal.