TiO2 surface modification by citrate for fuel cell application

Effective and facile electrochemical oxidation of chemical fuels is pivotal for fuel cell applications. Herein, we report the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine on a citratecapped Au-TiO2-modified glassy carbon electrode, which follows two different oxidation paths. These two pathways of hydrazine oxidation are ascribed to occur on Au and the activated TiO2 surface of the Au-TiO2 hybrid electrocatalyst. This activation was achieved through molecular capping of the Au-TiO2 surface by citrate, which leads to favorable hydrazine oxidation with a lower Tafel slope compared to that of the clean surface of the respective

materials, that is, Au and TiO2.

Ref: ACS Omega 2017, 2, 1215−1221.