After the Pt-WO₃/C electrode was treated with mixed solvent of tetrahydrofuran and acetone, the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt-WO₃/C electrode for the ethylene glycol oxidation was significantly increased. The onset potential of the ethylene glycol oxidation was shifted to the negative direction compared with that at the untreated Pt-WO₃/C electrode. In the acidic solution, the peak current of the ethylene glycol oxidation at the treated Pt-WO₃/C electrode was 3.2 times as large as that at the untreated Pt-WO₃/C electrode. In the neutral solution, it became 4.7 times. The main reason is that the treatment can remove the impurity, such as the surfactant introduced in the preparation of the Pt-WO₃/C electrode, which changes the surface structure of the electrode to a certain extent and increases the exposure surface area of Pt. In addition, the treatment of the Pt-WO₃/C electrode can promote the oxidation of CO_ad, the intermediate of the ethylene glycol oxidation, and thus, decrease the poison effect of the adsorbed CO to the electrode. The treatment method is simple and effective.

Key words: ethylene glycol, CO, electrocatalytic oxidation, fuel cell