Issue 16, 2019

Three-dimensional catalyst systems from expanded graphite and metal nanoparticles for electrocatalytic oxidation of liquid fuels

Abstract

Cheap and high-performance electrocatalysts are required for fuel cells. Herein, we present the application of three-dimensional (3D) catalyst systems for electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol. These systems consist of cost-effective boron-doped expanded graphite (B-EG) as the support and palladium nanoparticles (NPs) or platinum/palladium bimetal NPs as the catalysts. The characterization of these 3D catalyst systems using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and electrochemical techniques reveals that stable and efficient electrocatalytic methanol oxidation, achieved in a 3D catalyst system of B-EG and PdPt bimetal NPs (with a mass ratio of 1 : 1), is due to its big surface area, high conductivity, and an enhanced amount of exposed active sites from bimetal NPs. This price-reduced, stable, and efficient 3D catalyst system is thus promising to be employed for a large scale production of industrial direct methanol fuel cells.

Graphical abstract: Three-dimensional catalyst systems from expanded graphite and metal nanoparticles for electrocatalytic oxidation of liquid fuels

  • This article is part of the themed collection: Nanocarbons

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Jan 2019
Accepted
27 Mar 2019
First published
28 Mar 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2019,11, 7952-7958

Three-dimensional catalyst systems from expanded graphite and metal nanoparticles for electrocatalytic oxidation of liquid fuels

X. Chen, H. Li, T. Zeng, Y. Zhang, Q. Wan, Y. Li and N. Yang, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 7952 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR00633H

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