Mesoporous catalyst support based on tin oxide
(SnO2)
is synthesized with high surface area of
205normalm2normalg−1
and with narrow pore size distribution. Modified polyol method is used to deposit platinum on
SnO2
. The physical properties of the support and the
SnO2
-supported Pt catalyst
(Pt/SnO2)
are characterized by using the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller method, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical stability and durability of the
Pt/SnO2
catalyst are investigated by the accelerated stress tests proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Pt/SnO2
catalyst exhibits electrochemical activity in fuel cells comparable to that of Pt/C. More importantly, the electrochemical stability of the
Pt/SnO2
catalyst significantly improves when compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst at high potentials (
∼1.2V
vs reversible hydrogen electrode).