文摘
A novel Pt nanoflowers/polyaniline/nitrogen-doped graphene (PtNFs/PANI/NG) electrocatalyst was prepared by dispersing Pt nanoflowers (PtNFs) onto a polyaniline (PANI) grafted N-doped graphene (NG) matrix through a two-step electrochemical process. Firstly, NG was prepared by a hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide (GO) with urea, and then electrochemical polymerization of aniline at NG was carried out. Secondly, PtNFs was dispersed onto the film of PANI/NG by electrochemical reduction of H2PtCl6. The as-prepared composites were characterized by SEM, XRD, and Raman spectra. Compared with PtNFs/PANI/G, PtNFs/PANI, and PtNFs/NG catalysts, the novel PtNFs/PANI/NG catalyst exhibits more advantages such as high catalytic activity, excellent poisoning tolerance, and stability characteristic towards methanol electro-oxidation, which is attributed to not only the good dispersion of PtNFs on PANI/NG but also the strong interactions between metal particles and conducting polymer matrixes. The results suggest that the PtNFs/PANI/NG catalyst can be a promising alternative for catalyst in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Graphical abstract A novel Pt nanoflowers/polyaniline/nitrogen-doped graphene (PtNFs/PANI/NG) composite was developed via electrochemical approach, in which NG cannot only exhibit excellent catalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction and electric conductivity but also effectively improve the stability of PANI. The combination of NG and PANI can improve redox activity of ternary complex film and the successful deposition of Pt on the PANI/NG electrode to form a unique three-dimensional structure of PtNFs. Compared with pure Pt, the incorporation of Pt to the substrate matrices leads to a decrease in the amount of Pt used and an improvement of catalytic activity towards the oxidation of methanol.