Multi-walled carbon nanotube-supported tungsten oxide-containing multifunctional hybrid electrocatalytic system for oxygen reduction in acid medium

Abstract

Combination of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, cobalt porphyrin and tungsten oxide in the film (deposited onto glassy carbon electrode substrate) produces an electrocatalytic system capable of effective reduction of oxygen in such acid medium as 0.5 mol dm −3 H 2SO 4. Co-existence of cobalt porphyrin and tungsten oxide, together with dispersed carbon nanotubes, leads to the enhancement effect evident from some positive shift in the oxygen reduction voltammetric potential and the significant increase of voltammetric currents (relative to those characteristic of the system free of carbon nanotubes and WO 3). The multi-component electrocatalytic film has also exhibited relatively higher activity towards reduction of hydrogen peroxide. It is reasonable to expect that the reduction of oxygen is initiated at the cobalt porphyrin redox centers, and the undesirable hydrogen peroxide intermediate is further reduced at the tungsten oxide support. An important function of carbon nanotubes is to improve transport of electrons within the electrocatalytic multi-component film.