Electro-oxidation of Ethanol at Sputter-Deposited Platinum–Tin Catalysts

The electro-oxidation of ethanol was studied in catalysts, prepared by sputter-deposition. The performances of four different catalysts in the proportions of , , , and were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. appears to be the best electrocatalyst among the four studied alloys; the current density of the ethanol oxidation peak is the highest for , and this catalyst also reveals the lowest charge-transfer resistance, which tends to decrease in spite of the application of higher potentials.