Graphene aerogel supported Pt-Ni alloy as efficient electrocatalysts for alcohol fuel oxidation

Abstract

Alcohol fuels oxidation plays a significant role in carbon sustainable cycling and high-performance catalyst with a strong anti-poisoning effect is desired. Herein, Pt-Ni alloy supported on the N-doped graphene aerogel synthesized by simple freeze-drying and annealing was demonstrated to have such catalytic ability for alcohol fuel oxidation. Pt-Ni alloy particles were found uniformly dispersed over the surface of 3D N-doped graphene aerogel. High anti-poisoning ability for CO-like intermediates oxidation was demonstrated by the CO-stripping experiment. The as-prepared catalyst was found to have outstanding catalytic performance for methanol and ethanol oxidation with high catalytic activity, stability and catalytic kinetics. Compared to the control samples, the improved catalytic ability could be due to the presence of oxophilic Ni species and the support effect of 3D N-doped graphene aerogel that combined multi-advantages of large surface area, facile mass transfer, and abundant defects.