Abstract: TiO2 nanotubes were carbonized by decomposition of poly(ethylene glycol) to achieve good electrical conductivity and subsequently used as the support for the preparation of the Pd/TiO2C electrocatalyst. The oxidation of alcohols in alkaline media over the Pd/TiO2C catalyst was investigated. The results show that the dispersion of the metal electrocatalyst and the structure of the electrode can be improved using carbonized TiO2 nanotubes as the support, and hence the catalyst activity is increased. The Pd/TiO2C electrocatalyst with a Pd/TiO2C mass ratio of 1/1 gives the best catalytic performance for alcohol oxidation. The catalytic activity of the Pd/TiO2C electrocatalyst with a Pd loading of 0~3 mg/cm2 is 2~8 times higher than that of the Pd/C electrocatalyst with the same loading in alkaline media.

Key words: titanium dioxide, nanotube, palladium, electrocatalyst, ethanol, oxidation, fuel cell