Electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activity of Pt–TiO2 films on boron-doped diamond substrate

In the present work boron-doped diamond (BDD) polycrystalline films were used as support for direct anodic deposition of hydrous titanium oxide, and continuous TiO2 coatings were obtained by appropriately adjusting the deposition charge. The photoelectrochemical activity of the TiO2/BDD electrodes was investigated and it was found that, in terms of charge carriers separation efficiency, conductive diamond is a much better support for TiO2, compared to traditional carbonaceous materials such as glassy carbon. Further electrochemical deposition of platinum particles on the oxide-coated conductive diamond enabled the formation of a composite with enhanced electrochemically active surface area. The electrocatalytic and photocatalytic properties of the Pt/TiO2/BDD electrodes thus obtained were also scrutinized and it appeared that these hybrid systems also exhibit promising features for methanol anodic oxidation.