ELECTROCHEMICAL OXIDATION OF ETHANOL ON PT(HKL) BASAL SURFACES IN NAOH AND NA2CO3 MEDIA

The electrooxidation of ethanol as well as its irreversible adsorption on platinum single crystal electrodes have been studied in NaOH and N a2CO3 media. Pt(100) and Pt(100) electrodes show deactivation for oxid ation of bulk ethanol in both media, caused mainly by a structural sur face modification of the electrode surface. However, in NaOH solution Pt(111) exhibits the best behaviour on ethanol oxidation showing the h ighest current density and the most stable surface. From the SNIFT-IR spectra adsorbed CO is the main poisoning species in the irreversible adsorption of ethanol on Pt(110) and Pt(100); on Pt(111) only a very w eak band of adsorbed CO is observed. From the FT-IR spectra obtained d uring the oxidation of ethanol on Pt(110), Pt(100) and Pt(111) electro des, acetate anions have been identified as the main soluble oxidation product.