Monodisperse Pt-Co/GO anodes with varying Pt: Co ratios as highly active and stable electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation reaction

Abstract

The intense demand for alternative energy has led to efforts to find highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction. For this purpose, herein, graphene oxide-based platinum-cobalt nanoparticles (Pt100−xCox@GO NPs) were synthesized in different ratios and the synthesized nanoparticles were used directly as an efficient electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The characterizations for the determination of particle size and surface composition of nanoparticles were performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The structure of the catalysts was detected as face-centered cubic and the dispersion of them on graphene oxide was homogenous (distributed narrowly (4.01 ± 0.51 nm)). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) was utilized for testing electrocatalytic activities of all prepared NPs for the methanol oxidation reaction. It was detected that the newly produced NPs were more active and stable than commercially existing Pt(0)/Co nanomaterial in methanol electro-oxidation in acidic media.