Highly efficient carbon hybrid supported catalysts using nano-architecture as anode catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells

PtCo based nanoparticles in alloy structure were synthesized using the microwave-assisted reduction method. These nanoparticles were deposited on different carbon supporting materials. Here, these supporting materials such as rGO (reduced graphene oxide), rGO-VC (vulcan carbon) and AC-VC (activated carbon-vulcan carbon) were used and the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) activity of single carbon support and hybrid carbon support material in the presence of PtCo nanoparticles were investigated at the same molar concentration. The average particle size of the PtCo nanoparticles detected in the TEM analysis was found to be 3.55 ± 0.64 nm. The MOR activity of the PtCo@rGO, PtCo@rGO-VC and PtCo@AC-VC catalysts was determined, where the anodic peak current of PtCo@AC-VC was determined as 73 mA/cm². It has been observed that PtCo nanoparticles with carbon hybrid support structures are more advantageous than single support structures due to the synergistic effect between carbon support structures and providing a larger surface area. Compared to previous studies, the MOR activity of PtCo@AC-VC is quite high. It can be stated that PtCo@AC-VC has comparable catalytic activity compared to the commercial available anode catalyst.     

Engineered catalyst layer design with graphene-carbon black hybrid supports for enhanced platinum utilization in PEM fuel cell

In this study, a new approach was applied to prepare platinum/reduced graphene oxide/carbon black (Pt/rGO/CB) hybrid electrocatalysts. Unlike literature firstly GO and CB in varying ratios are homogeneously mixed with a high shear mixer and then Pt was impregnated onto the hybrid support structure according to the polyol method. According to our approach CB was used as a spacer and intercalating agent in both Pt impregnation and electrode preparation to avoid restacking and increase the Pt utilization. Thus rGO/CB based hybrid support can ease the diffusion while it is promoting to the use of high electrical connectivity and surface area of graphene. The maximum power density of 645 mW cm^?2 with Pt utilization efficiency of 2.58 kW/gPt was achieved with the hybrid containing the smallest amount of CB. It seems that this small amount of CB effectively modifies the electrode structure. The enhanced fuel cell performance can be attributed to synergistic effects from graphene and CB providing better mass transport and Pt utilization in the catalyst layer.     

PtCo/N-doped carbon sheets derived from a simple pyrolysis of graphene oxide/ZIF-67/H2PtCl6 composites as an efficient catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation

Many alloy catalysts have been developed for methanol electro-oxidation, but most synthetic methods are complicated. Herein, PtCo alloy catalysts supported on N-doped carbon sheets (PtCo/NCS) are successfully prepared by a simple pyrolysis of graphene oxide/ZIF-67/H₂PtCl₆ composites at different temperatures (700, 800, 900 °C) under a gas flow of H₂/Ar, in which ZIF-67 is served as Co and N sources. SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and electrochemical characterization are employed to study as-prepared catalysts. In acidic methanol solution, the area-specific activity (1.25 mA cm⁻² Pt) of PtCo alloy catalyst obtained at 800 °C (PtCo/NCS-800) is 2.6 times of commercial Pt/C (0.48 mA cm⁻² Pt), and the area-specific activity of PtCo/NCS-800 is 3.5 times of Pt/C after 1000 cycles. Furthermore, an improved CO-tolerance of Pt is confirmed. The electronic effect and synergistic effect of metallic elements are responsible for outstanding performance of as-prepared catalysts. This work provides a simple approach to obtain high performance alloy catalysts.     

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting in hierarchical porous ZnO/Reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite synthesized by sol-gel method

Today the utilization of solar energy to split water and its conversion to hydrogen and oxygen has been considered as a powerful way to solve the environmental crisis. Hierarchical porous nanostructured ZnO and ZnO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite photoanodes are synthesized by innovated sol-gel method using triethylenetetramine (TETA) as a stabilizer. The hierarchical porous ZnO structure containing large agglomerates each consisting of tiny nanoparticles are formed. The X-ray diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy confirm the in-situ reduction of graphene oxide sheets during synthesis and formation of ZnO/rGO nanocomposite. Although the band gap and transmittance of the porous nanocomposites do not dramatically change by rGO addition, the main photoluminescence peak quenches entirely showing prolonging exciton lifetime. The ZnO/rGO porous structure achieved remarkably improved current density (1.02 mA cm^?2 at 1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl) in 1 wt% rGO, up to 12 times higher compared to the bare ZnO (0.09 mA cm^?2 at 1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl), which attributes to positive role of ZnO hierarchical porous structure and rGO electron separation/transportation. These findings provide new insights into the broad applicability of this methodology for promising future semiconductor/graphene composite in the field of photoelectrochemical water splitting.     

High performance electrocatalysts supported on graphene based hybrids for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

In this study, new electrocatalysts for PEM fuel cells, based on Pt nanoparticles supported on hybrid carbon support networks comprising reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and carbon black (CB) at varying ratios, were designed and prepared by means of a rapid and efficient microwave-assisted synthesis method. Resultant catalysts were characterized ex-situ for their structure, morphology, electrocatalytic activity. In addition, membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) fabricated using resultant electrocatalysts and evaluated in-situ for their fuel cell performance and impedance characteristics. TEM studies showed that Pt nanoparticles were homogeneously decorated on rGO and rGO-CB hybrids while they had bigger size and partially agglomerated distribution on CB. The electrocatalyst, supported on GO-CB hybrid containing 75% GO (HE75), possessed very encouraging results in terms of Pt particle size and dispersion, catalytic activity towards HOR and ORR, and fuel cell performance. The maximum power density of 1090 mW cm^?2 was achieved with MEA (Pt loading of 0.4 mg cm^?2) based on electrocatalyst, HE75. Therefore, the resultant hybrid demonstrated higher Pt utilization with enhanced FC performance output. Our results, revealing excellent attributes of hybrid supported electrocatalysts, can be ascribed to the role of CB preventing rGO sheets from restacking, effectively modifying the array of graphene and providing more available active catalyst sites in the electrocatalyst material.     

3-D structured Pt/rGO-polyethyleneimine-functionalized MWCNTs prepared with different mass ratio of rGO and MWCNT for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Various 3-D structured Pt/xrGO-yPolyethyleneimine-functionalized MWCNTs (PMWCNT) were successfully prepared by the hybridization of rGO and PMWCNT. The FE-SEM and TEM images confirm the 3-D structure of hybridized Pt/rGO-PMWCNT catalyst and dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. In case of Pt/PMWCNT, Pt nanoparticles are preferentially deposited onto the external surface of PMWCNT but upon hybridization, the preferential deposit of Pt nanoparticles onto PMWCNT is not expected due to high affinity of rGO toward Pt nanoparticles. The Pt content deposited onto the hybridized supporting materials tends to be increased with rGO content. It is noteworthy that the BET surface area is increased with PMWCNT content due to the formation of the 3-D structure. The electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) and durability based on ECSA is also affected by the mass ratio of rGO and PMWCNT, exhibiting the highest ECSA of 32.5 m²/g and the least reduction of ECSA after 1200 cycle by Pt/1rGO-1PMWCNT. The cell performance is enhanced by the hybridization with the best cell performance by Pt/1rGO-1PMWCNT. It is, therefore, desirable to choose the appropriate mass ratio of rGO and PMWCNT to maximize the electrochemical properties.     

AuNi alloy nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide as highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions

Bimetallic nanoparticles of Au and Ni in the form of alloy nanostructures with varying Ni content are synthesized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets via a simple solution chemistry route and tested as electrocatalysts towards the hydrogen evolution (HE) and oxygen reduction (OR) reactions using polarization and impedance studies. The AuNi alloy NPs/rGO nanocomposites display excellent electrocatalytic activity which is found to improve with increasing Ni content in the AuNi/rGO alloy nanocomposites. For HER, the best AuNi alloy NPs/rGO electrocatalyst, the one with the highest Ni content, exhibits high activity with an onset overpotential approaching zero versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and an overpotential of only 37 mV at 10 mA cm^?2. Additionally, a low Tafel slope of 33 mV dec^?1 and a high exchange current density of 0.6 mA cm^?2 are measured which are very close to those of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Also, in the ORR tests, this electrocatalyst displays comparable activity to Pt/C. The Koutecky–Levich plots referred to a 4-electron mechanism for the reduction of dissolved O₂ on the AuNi alloy NPs/rGO catalyst. The electrocatalyst thus demonstrates excellent activity towards HER and ORR. Additionally, it exhibits outstanding operational durability and activation after 10,000^th cycles assuring its practical applicability.     

Platinum–Iron nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide as an improved catalyst for methanol electro oxidation

Platinum–Iron nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide powder are synthesized by chemical reduction method as an anode catalyst for the methanol electro oxidation. The characterization of the catalyst has been investigated using physical and electrochemical methods. Prepared catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), TEM (Transmission electron microscopy), FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy), Raman spectroscopy and, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDX). Pt and Pt-Fe nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) powder nanocomposite support. The catalytic properties of the catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation were thoroughly studied by electrochemical methods that involved in the cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The Pt-Fe/rGo exhibits high electrocatalytic activity, catalyst tolerance for the CO poisoning and catalyst durability for electro-oxidation of methanol compared to the Pt/rGo and commercial Pt/C catalyst. Therefore, the Pt-Fe/rGo catalyst is a good choice for application in direct methanol fuel cells.     

Polymer-graphene hybride decorated Pt nanoparticles as highly efficient and reusable catalyst for the dehydrogenation of dimethylamine–borane at room temperature

Addressed herein, we report a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheet coupled with polyaniline (PANI) for platinum (Pt) nanoparticles as supporting materials. The PANI-coupled rGO (PANI@rGO) nanosheet is prepared by a simple one-step chemical assembly strategy, and Pt nanoparticles are anchored on the support of PANI@rGO through the reaction of PANI with a platinum salt. The designed PANI efficiently exposes the surface of rGO sheets and stabilizes metal nanoparticles. Consequently, the Pt@PANI-rGO catalyst exhibits good reusability, durability and high catalytic performance for dimethylamine–borane dehydrogenation reaction. The structure morphology and properties of Pt@PANI-rGO NPs were characterized by using several different techniques such as UV–Vis, XPS, TEM, XRD and HR-TEM-EDX analyses. This newly prepared catalyst can be reused again at low concentrations and temperature. They showed a high turnover frequency (42.94 h^?1) and low E_a value of 15.1 ± 2 kJ/mol for DMAB dehydrocoupling in the ambient conditions. The proposed nano architecture offers a new pathway to promote the performances of rGO in various applications; moreover, this work provides a powerful and universal synthetic strategy for such an architecture.     

Electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole/MWCNTs-Al2O3 ternary nanocomposites supported Pt nanoparticles toward methanol oxidation

As known, a good support enhances the activity and durability of any catalyst. In the current study, polypyrrole (PPY)/nanocomposite (MWCNTs and Al₂O₃) films were fabricated by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole solution with a certain amount of nanoparticles on titanium substrates and were used as new support materials for Pt catalyst. The modified electrodes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques. High catalytic activity and long-time stability toward methanol oxidation of Pt/PPY–MWNTs-αAl₂O₃ catalyst have also been verified by cyclic voltammetry results and chronoamperometric response measurements. This catalyst exhibits a vehemently high current density (345.03 mA cm^?2) and low peak potential (0.74 v) for methanol oxidation. Other electrochemical measurements (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), CO stripping voltammetry and Tafel test) clearly confirmed that Pt/PPY–MWNTs-αAl₂O₃/Ti electrode has a better performance toward methanol oxidation compared to the other electrodes and that can be used as a promising electrode material for application in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).     

Ultralow Pt loading on CVD graphene for acid electrolytes and PEM fuel cells

Continuous-phase, porous graphene was produced by CVD process and tested for suitability as catalyst and catalyst support for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. N-doping of CVD graphene was carried by NH₃ gas flown over graphene for a given time. Ultralow Pt was sputter deposited onto porous, continuous phase N-doped graphene. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity by Rotating Disc Electrode (RDE) in 0,1 M HClO₄ electrolyte and PEM fuel cell performance were measured. N-doping and thicker Pt sputtering increases reduction current in RDE measurements. Sputter deposition of 1 nm and 10 nm Pt on CVD graphene (2.1 and 21.45 μgPt/cm² loading) has shown orders of magnitude increase in current compare to only-graphene samples. In fuel cell testing, sputter deposited Pt layer of 10 nm has provided 2.5 A/mgPt at 0.5 V polarization while 1 nm samples shows 15 A/mgPt performance at the same voltage.     

Graphene based catalyst supports for high temperature PEM fuel cell application

In this study, the effect of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) and graphene oxide (GO) based carbon supports on polybenzimidazole (PBI) based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) performances were investigated. Pt/GNP and Pt/GO catalysts were synthesized by microwave assisted chemical reduction support. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brauner, Emmet and Teller (BET) analysis and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to investigate the microstructure and morphology of the as-prepared catalysts. The electrochemical surface area (ESA) was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results showed deposition of smaller Pt nanoparticles with uniform distribution and higher ECSA for Pt/GNP compared to Pt/GO. The Pt/GNP and Pt/GO catalysts were tested in 25 cm² active area single HT-PEMFC with H₂/air at 160 °C without humidification. Performance evaluation in HT-PEMFC shows current densities of 0.28, 0.17 and 0.22 A/cm² for the Pt/GNP, Pt/C and Pt/GO catalysts based MEAs at 160 °C, respectively. The maximum power density was obtained for MEA prepared by Pt/GNP catalyst with H₂/Air dry reactant gases as 0.34, 0.40 and 0.46 W/cm² at 160 °C, 175 °C and 190 °C, respectively. Graphene based catalyst supports exhibits an enhanced HT-PEMFC performance in both low and high current density regions. The results indicate the graphene catalyst support could be utilized as the catalyst support for HT-PEMFC application.     

Highly efficient,large surface area and spherically shaped Pt particles deposited electrolytically synthesized graphene for methanol oxidation with impedance spectroscopy

Graphene was synthesized via electrochemical exfoliation technique of graphite rod in Poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) solution. Laser Raman and X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopies were used to confirm the defects and crystal nature of graphene. The surface wettability studies based on water contact angle, further differentiates the affinity of as-prepared graphene and pristine graphite towards water. Modified Glassy carbon (GC) electrodes were prepared by electro-deposition of Platinum (Pt) on bare and graphene coated GC, denoted as GC/Pt and graphene/Pt modified GC respectively. The morphology and chemical composition of the thus synthesized graphene and graphene/Pt modified electrodes were investigated by High resolution transmission electron microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy and Energy dispersive spectroscopy. The electrochemically active surface area of the electro-deposited spherically shaped Pt particles was calculated to be 63.96 m² g^?1 and 25.10 m² g^?1 on graphene/Pt and GC/Pt, respectively. The electro-catalytic performance of modified electrodes for methanol oxidation was envisaged by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Graphene/Pt modified GC electrode showed higher oxidation peak current (42.90 mA cm^?2) than GC/Pt modified electrode (16.24 mA cm^?2) in forward scan of methanol oxidation because of the uniform distribution of spherically shaped Pt particles on graphene. The reaction path for methanol oxidation at different potentials was elucidated by means of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.     

Fabrication of cost-effective non-noble metal supported on conducting polymer composite such as copper/polypyrrole graphene oxide (Cu2O/PPy–GO) as an anode catalyst for methanol oxidation in DMFC

Cost-effective non-noble metal catalysts are of key significance to the successful use of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) for electricity generation. Herein, cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Cu₂O NPs) supported graphene oxide (GO), polypyrrole (PPy) and polypyrrole–graphene oxide (PPy–GO) matrices were prepared using borohydride reduction method. The prepared catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis spectra, Zeta potential and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The elemental analysis of the composites was done by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Cu₂O NPs were homogeneously dispersed and strongly anchored on the PPy grafted GO matrix and this was examined through morphological analysis. The Cu₂O/PPy–GO (80:10:10) NPs exhibited noticeable improvement in electrochemical performance in comparison to pure graphene oxide (GO) and pure PPy supported Cu₂O NPs catalyst and revealed the peak current density of 300 μA cm^?2 at +0.68 V. The Cu₂O/PPy–GO system demonstrated higher current density and also exhibited greater stability in comparison to the commercial Pt–Ru/C catalyst as characterized by chronoamperometry (CA) analysis. This prospective nano-catalyst showed higher I_F/I_B ratio (26%, 8.6% and 19%) compared to the corresponding catalyst systems of Cu₂O/GO, Cu₂O/PPy and Pt–Ru/C. In direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), the efficiency of Cu₂O/PPy–GO nano-catalyst system as an anode catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) was investigated and the result revealed a maximum current density of 155 mA cm^?2 at +0.2 V and power density of 31 mW cm^?2. Hence, Cu₂O/PPy–GO NPs are a cost-effective alternative for Pt–Ru/C system to execute practical application in DMFC.     

Efficient method to obtain Platinum–Cobalt supported on graphene oxide and electrocatalyst development

We have prepared a highly efficient and stable platinum–cobalt catalyst supported on graphene oxide by using a one-step synthesis microwave-irradiation process. The structure and composition of two different compositions (Pt:Co(2.5:1)/rGO, Pt:Co(2:1)/rGO) have been investigated by Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), specific surface area (BET), Raman spectroscopy. Their electrocatalytic activity was investigated and the electrochemical response from cyclic voltammetry revealed the high efficiency and stability as well as the potential application as cathode electrode. The electrocatalysts exhibited a superior durability comparing with commercial Pt/C catalyst after accelerated stress test, indicating a lower loss of electrochemical surface area in the case of prepared samples. Moreover, this study extends the applicability of this synthesis method for the preparation of other noble or transitional metal nanoparticles decorated on reduced graphene oxide.     

Preparation and electrocatalytic characteristics of the Pt-based anode catalysts for ethanol oxidation in acid and alkaline media

The current study reports the preparation and investigation of several Pt-based anode catalysts loaded on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as electrocatalysts in both acid and alkaline media for ethanol electrooxidation. The synthesized catalysts are evaluated by the method of XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and TEM. Electrocatalytic properties of these catalysts for ethanol oxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It was found that the as-prepared nanocatalysts doped by metals and oxide metals showed the improvement of catalytic performance compared to Pt-only supported on graphene catalyst. The results indicated that the presence of Al favoured Pt nanoparticles dispersing on the surface of rGO sheets. Indeed, the PAG catalyst exhibits the highest mass activity for the ethanol oxidation of 1194 mA mg^?1_Pt in acid medium and 3691 mA mg^?1_Pt in alkaline medium. In addition, the PAG catalyst also shows good antipoisoning ability for ethanol electrooxidation in both media. This catalyst could be a potential catalyst for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC).     

Three-dimensional porous graphene supported Ni nanoparticles with enhanced catalytic performance for Methanol electrooxidation

Three-dimensional porous graphene (3D-G) is prepared by template-assembly method and employed as catalyst support for Ni nanoparticles for methanol electrooxidation. Morphology characterization confirm that Ni nanoparticles with sizes around 20 nm are uniformly scattered on the pore wall surface of the three-dimensional graphene without apparent agglomeration. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the Ni/3D-G processes higher electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction than that of the Ni nanoparticles supported on two-dimensional graphene (Ni/2D-G) and Ni nanoparticles without graphene. The peak current density on Ni/3D-G is 64.6 mA cm^?2, which is 1.5 times higher than that on Ni/2D-G. The remarkable electrocatalytic performance of the Ni/3D-G catalyst are mainly derived from the 3D graphene. As a carrier for methanol oxidation, the 3D-G with abundant pore architecture not only hinder the agglomeration of Ni particles that is beneficial to accelerating the efficient charge transport through the whole catalyst, but also offer readily accessible channels for the diffusion of CH₃OH to the active sites of catalyst surface.     

One-step fabrication of new generation graphene-based electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells by a novel electrophoretic deposition

High Pt loading has better tradeoff in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) in terms of improved performance and operational longevity. But, to employ low amounts of Pt electrocatalysts via an alternative carbon-based support and utilization technique is vital. This study presents the use of a one-step novel technique, an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method, through which reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Pt nanoparticles have been directly fabricated onto carbon paper to form electrodes for PEMFC. Our process involves simultaneous synthesis and deposition of Pt-reduced GO nanocomposites onto oxygen plasma pre-treated carbon paper in an organo-aqueous media at various deposition time. Through this technique, homogenously distributed Pt nanoparticles ranging from 5 to 6 nm in size on graphene support were successfully synthesized to form catalyst layer on carbon paper. The characteristics of fabricated electrodes were investigated ex-situ by Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, XPS, ICP, FIB, TEM. Furthermore, catalytic activity towards hydrogen oxidation reaction was evaluated via CV measurements and fuel cell performance tests were also conducted. The highest ECSA value of 27.4 m²g^-1 and the Pt utilization efficiency of 1.48 kW/g_Pt^?1 were achieved at an optimized Pt loading of 0.129 mg cm^?2. A maximum power density of 280 mW cm^?2 was obtained with increasing EPD time and Pt precursor concentration at the same time. The achieved results are attributed to the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on rGO nanosheets displaying synergetic performance as catalyst necessary for PEMFCs, thanks to the EPD technique's viability, ease in handling, and reproducibility in the synthesis route. In the previous studies on Pt/GO based fuel cell electrodes by EPD, on one hand, Pt NPs were synthesized on GO by chemical methods first and electrodes were fabricated by a subsequent EPD. On the other hand, the fuel cell performances of those electrodes have been rarely shown. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time in literature not only about the use of EPD technique for the fabrication of fuel cell electrodes in one-step but also the evaluation of fuel cell performance of the electrodes fabricated by EPD.     

Three dimensional assembly of electrocatalytic platinum nanostructures on reduced graphene oxide – An electrochemical approach for high performance catalyst for methanol oxidation

By means of co-electrodeposition, we fabricated 3D assembly of Pt nanostructures with dominant (100) plane on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified graphite electrode. The strong metal-support interaction at the atomic level makes the nanostructure highly durable and this modified electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards methanol oxidation. It has been found that the morphology, active site and the electrochemical activity of Pt are highly dependent on the substrate and the number of electrochemical cycling used for the deposition. rGO-Pt composite deposited using one cycle showed a high mass activity of 2.54 A/mg at 0.67 V for methanol oxidation in acidic condition and 1.84 A/mg at ?0.03 V in alkaline medium. This simple and single step approach using electrodeposition to grow the morphology controlled Pt nanostructure on rGO, will aid in the development of active and stable catalyst for fuel cell applications.     

High electrocatalytic performance of a graphene-supported PtAu nanoalloy for methanol oxidation

Homogeneously distributed PtAu nanoalloy anchored to graphene (PtAuNA/G) was synthesized via a simple one-step electrochemical deposition process, in which Pt and Au ions and graphene oxide was simultaneously electro-reduced on the glassy carbon electrode. The morphology evolution of PtAuNA/G synthesized with different deposition times was characterized via field-emission scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy was applied to confirm the alloy structure. The electrodeposition conditions, including the deposition time, were further optimized to explore the morphological evolution of PtAuNA/G. Based on cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry results, it was found that PtAuNA/G can efficiently catalyze the oxidation of methanol in alkaline media with dramatically enhanced electrocatalytic activity (7.268 mA cm^?2, 3.83 times higher than that of commercial carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles, 1.894 mA cm^?2), along with a considerably improved tolerance to poisoning (current decline: 69% vs 99.89%). These results indicate a great potential for PtAuNA/G in fabricating high-performance direct methanol fuel cells.