Low-Loaded Pt Nanoparticles Supported on Electrochemically Exfoliated Graphene as a Sustainable Catalyst for Electrochemical Ethanol Oxidation

Irina Srejić (), Aleksandar Maksić, Mirjana Novaković, Jelena Potočnik, Lazar Rakočević, Sanja Živković and Milutin Smiljanić ()
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Irina Srejić: Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Aleksandar Maksić: Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Mirjana Novaković: Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jelena Potočnik: Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Lazar Rakočević: Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Sanja Živković: Department of Physical Chemistry, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milutin Smiljanić: Department of Materials Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: Securing ever-increasing energy demands while reducing resilience on fossil fuels is a major task of modern society. Fuel cells are devices in which the chemical energy of various fuels can be converted into clean electricity. Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC) are increasingly popular for their eco-friendliness and significantly easier liquid fuel manipulation compared to hydrogen-fed fuel cells. Carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles are considered reference catalysts for fuel oxidation in DEFCs. Several challenges hinder DEFC commercialization: high Pt-loading, Pt poisoning by CO intermediates, and the instability of the Pt and carbon supports. This work demonstrates an efficient electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) composed of Pt nanoparticles supported on electrochemically exfoliated graphene (Pt/el-rGO). Graphene was obtained through anodic electrochemical exfoliation using graphitic tape as the anode, while Pt nanoparticles were synthesized using chemical reduction with formic acid. As-obtained Pt/el-rGO with only 7.5 wt.% Pt was characterized using TEM, SEM, and XPS. Pt/el-rGO exhibited notably higher EOR catalytic activity in an alkaline electrolyte than the Pt/C benchmark. This enhancement can be linked with the functional groups present on the graphene support, which facilitate ethanol dehydrogenation as the first step in the EOR mechanism and thus enhance reaction kinetics on Pt-active sites.

Keywords: direct alcohol fuel cells; ethanol oxidation reaction; electrochemically exfoliated graphene; platinum (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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