Enhancing catalytic performance of Pt-based electrodes with a noncovalent interaction-induced functionalized carbon nanotube-grafted matrix

Abstract

Although noncovalent interactions are well-known as one of the key factors in preparing molecular recognition systems in catalytic bio-processes, relatively less work has been done to utilize this knowledge to improve the performance of conventional metal electrodes. Our approach makes use of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (f-MWCNT) matrices to fine-tune catalytic activities of Pt nanoparticle-decorated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pt/MWCNTs) towards enhanced ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). By encapsulating Pt/MWCNTs with f-MWCNTs, noncovalent interactions derived from the designed functional groups could be involved in the EOR in terms of enhanced kinetics and de-poisoning capabilities. Different types of functional groups are studied to reveal the tunability of functional matrices in creating different degrees and types of noncovalent interactions, while a number of reaction parameters are studied to understand how noncovalent interactions work in EOR. These results provide important strategies for exploring ways to tune catalytic activities of organic material-based catalysts by combining biomimetic catalysts and conventional catalytic metals, paving the way for future development of organo-metallic fuel cells.