Synthesis and applications of highly stable silane modified reduced graphene oxide supported cobalt based platinum nanoparticle for anodic part of direct methanol fuel cells

Abstract

In this study, the effects of silane on bimetallic nanoparticles modified with reduced graphene oxide were investigated for direct methanol fuel cells. In this direction, PtCo bimetallic nanoparticles were produced using the chemical reduction method. PtCo@NH2-rGO catalyst was obtained by combining these nanoparticles on 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) modified reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO). Characterization of the PtCo@NH2-rGO catalyst was performed by X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and UV–Visible Spectrophotometer (UV-VIS). The methanol oxidation performances of the obtained catalysts were investigated in order to observe the electrochemical effect of NH2-rGO supporting agent on unsupported PtCo and supported PtCo (PtCo@NH2-rGO) catalysts. The PtCo@NH2-rGO electrocatalyst showed a high oxidation peak current density (86.02 mA/cm2) for the anodic portion of the direct methanol fuel cell. This result shows the high performance of the NH2-rGO supported catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells. The resulting catalyst gives promise for potential direct fuel cell applications.