Electrochemically exfoliated graphene as high-performance catalyst support to promote electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol on Pt catalysts

Abstract

Electrochemically exfoliated graphene (EEG) is a kind of high-quality graphene with few oxygen-containing functional groups and defects on the surface, and thereby is more suitable as catalyst support than other carbon materials such as extensively used reduced graphene oxide (rGO). However, it is difficult to grow functional materials on EEG due to its inert surface. In this work, ultra-small Pt nanocrystals (∼2.6 nm) are successfully formed on EEG and show better electrocatalytic activity towards methanol oxidation than Pt catalysts on rGO. The outstanding catalytic properties of Pt catalysts on EEG can be attributed to the fast electron transfer through EEG and high quality of Pt catalysts such as small grain size, high dispersibility and low oxidation ratio. In addition, SnO2 nanocrystals are controllably generated around Pt catalysts on EEG to raise the poison tolerance of Pt catalysts through using glycine as a linker. Owing to its outstanding properties such as high electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, EEG is expected to be widely used as a novel support for catalysts.