The methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) on both Pt/TiO2/C and Pt/C‐based electrodes can be photo‐enhanced by illuminating the electrodes with UV light. This fact has called into question the role of TiO2 in the photo‐enhancement of MOR when Pt is present. To examine this further, we have studied the change in the photo‐enhancement of methanol electro‐oxidation with Pt surface area. For each catalyst, there was greater MOR activity in the presence of UV‐irradiation. However, upon potential cycling, there was a faster decline in MOR activity in the presence of UV‐irradiation compared to the MOR activity in the dark. A linear relation between the decay in methanol oxidation current with the decay in Pt surface area for both catalysts was observed. This strongly suggests that irradiation enhances the methanol oxidation process on the Pt surface. When TiO2 is present, it has a synergetic electronic effect that further enhances the oxidation process on the Pt surface.
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