High Peak Current Density Research Articles

Hydrothermal assisted growth of vertically aligned platelet like structures of WO3 films on transparent conducting FTO substrate for electrochromic performance

Controlled growth of nanostructured metal oxide films growing on the conducting substrates with good adhesion in a single step process via hydrothermal method is still challenging. In the present work, WO3 platelets were deposited on transparent conducting fluorine doped tin oxide substrates by single step hydrothermal process via tailoring the reaction time (8 h, 12 h and 16 h) and reaction temperature (120 °C and 180 °C). X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the WO3 thin films grown at 120 °C for 8 h and 12 h reaction time comprised with mixed phases of hexagonal and monoclinic system, whereas 16 h of reaction time produced single phase monoclinic system. However the WO3 films deposited at 180 °C for 8 h, 12 h and 16 h reaction time acquired monoclinic system. Raman spectrum showed the stretching and bending modes of WO3. The WO3 films deposited at 120 °C and 180 °C for different reaction time 8 h, 12 h and 16 h exhibited various surface morphology such as buds like, bricks like, platelets like and sheets with platelets like structures. Optical studies showed that the transmittance of WO3 film is decreased with increase in the reaction temperature. The WO3 film deposited at 120 °C for 12 h reaction time acquired transmittance of about 86% at 463 nm whereas the film deposited at 180 °C for 12 h reaction time showed transmittance of about 75% at 465 nm. The direct and indirect optical band gap of the deposited WO3 films varies in the range 2.5 eV– 2.9 eV and 2.6–2.75 eV respectively with varying growth parameters. The electrical properties of WO3 film deposited at 120 °C for 12 h showed relatively low resistivity (1.8 × 10−3 Ωcm) and high carrier concentration (9.3 × 1019 cm−3). The electrochromic studies carried out for the WO3 film synthesized at 120 °C for 16 h exhibits high peak current density, diffusion coefficient and fast switching kinetics with respect to other deposited films.

Graphene oxide-carbon nanotubes hybrid co-electrodeposited on graphite sheet as an excellent electrocatalytic material for [VO]2+/[VO2]+ redox reaction in VRFBs

A highly effective GO-CNT/graphite sheet as electrochemical active material for [VO]2+/[VO2]+ redox pairs in vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) has been developed. The modified sheet was fabricated by co-electrochemical reduction of functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) on graphite sheet. The structures and electrochemical properties of GO-CNT/graphite sheet were studied by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle measurement, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry (CHA). The morphology studies showed that GO-CNTs hybrid has been uniformly deposited on the surface of graphite sheets. Electrochemical measurements are carried out in a three-electrode half-cell to characterize the electrochemical properties of the GO-CNT/graphite sheet towards the VO2+/VO2+ redox reactions. Results showed that the GO-CNT/graphite electrode exhibits high peak current density and low charge-transfer resistance towards the [VO]2+/[VO2]+ redox reactions compared to bare graphite sheet, confirming good electrocatalytic activity and kinetic reversibility of the modified electrode. The enhanced electrochemical activity can be attributed to the synergetic catalytic effect of GO-CNTs and the large numbers of oxygen-containing functional groups on the GO-CNTs hybrid which can provide more active sites to catalyze the [VO]2+/[VO2]+ redox reactions.

InGaAs/AlAs Resonant Tunneling Diodes for THz Applications: An Experimental Investigation

This paper presents an experimental study of InGaAs/AlAs resonant tunneling diodes designed to improve the diode characteristics using five different device structures. A promising high peak to valley current ratio of 5.2 was obtained for a very low current density device. As expected, the measured results show a significant increase in the current density with thinner barriers and quantum well widths. This is, however, at the expense of an increase in the peak voltages for high peak current density devices. A 36-mV/ $\mu$ m2 voltage deviation was found for a diode with a peak current density of 10.8 mA/ $\mu$ m2 that we attribute to self-heating of the diodes, and which were confirmed using pulsed dc voltage tests. To demonstrate how the self-oscillation at low frequency can be eliminated, a 25 $\Omega$ resistor was integrated in parallel with the diodes. The experimental findings suggest that the partially stabilizing resistor is limited by the absolute value of the negative differential resistance. The equivalent circuit of the diodes was validated using on-wafer S-parameter measurements up to 40 GHz. An estimated high frequency operation limit of 2.7 THz was deduced for RTD sample #327.

Interlaced WO3-carbon nanotube nanocomposite electrodeposited on graphite as a positive electrode in vanadium redox flow battery

A novel kind of tungsten trioxide-multi walled carbon nanotubes (WO3-MWCNTs) nanocomposite electrode as a positive electrode in vanadium redox flow battery has been developed in this paper. The electrode was fabricated by electrochemical reduction of functionalized MWCNTs and W2O11−2 onto graphite. The morphology studies showed that the obtained electrode has many interlaced WO3-MWCNTs nanorods on the surface of graphite. Electrochemical performance toward the VO2+/VO2+ redox reactions was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometry procedures in a three electrode half-cell. Results showed that the WO3-MWCNTs/graphite electrode exhibit high peak current density, small peak potential difference and low charge transfer resistance toward the [VO]2+/[VO2]+ redox reactions in contrast to graphite, WO3/graphite and MWCNT/graphite electrodes, confirming good electrocatalytic activity and kinetic reversibility of the modified electrode.

Electro-plastic effect on tensile deformation behaviour and microstructural mechanism of AZ31B alloy

The influences of electropulse on mechanical properties of AZ31B alloy were investigated by the electro-plastic (EP) tensile tests. The results show that the flow stress decreases with the increase of the root mean square (RMS) current density, while the elongation to fracture almost remains unchanged after it reaches a certain value. The higher peak current density can lead to a more potent EP effect when the RMS current density remains approximate. The results of microstructure analysis indicate that, the electropulse can reduce the dynamic recrystallisation temperature and promote the grain boundary sliding. The inverse eutectic reaction (α + β = L) will take place at the necking zone under high electropulse, which can optimise the deformation mechanism before the liquid phase is too much.

Self-Assembling PDDA on Graphene to Surfactant-Free Synthesize Uniform and Ultra-Small Pd Nanocrystals by Direct CO Reduction for Efficient Catalyst Toward Formic Acid Oxidation

Herein a facile strategy to self-assemble PDDA on graphene for surfactant-free synthesizing uniform and ultra-small Pd nano-crystals (Pd@PDDA-G, average size of 3.4 nm) by direct CO reduction has been accomplished. The as-prepared Pd@PDDA-G catalyst exhibits much more negative half-wave potential than the commercial Pd/C and Pd@G without using PDDA by 40 mV and 15 mV as well as much higher peak current density than latters by 2.5 and 2 times, respectively toward formic acid oxidation, demonstrating superior electrocatalytic activity. In addition, the catalyst presents better stability than both Pd@G and commercial Pd/C. The electrocatalytic enhancement mechanism could be attributed to produced uniformly ultra-small and clean Pd nanocrystals on porous graphene for high reaction surface area and fast interfacial electron transfer process. This work also offers a universal route to prepare other high performance catalysts for broad applications in energy systems and sensing devices.

A Robust Molecular Catalyst Generated In Situ for Photo- and Electrochemical Water Oxidation.

Water splitting is the key step towards artificial photosystems for solar energy conversion and storage in the form of chemical bonding. The oxidation of water is the bottle-neck of this process that hampers its practical utility; hence, efficient, robust, and easy to make catalytic systems based on cheap and earth-abundant materials are of exceptional importance. Herein, an in situ generated cobalt catalyst, [CoII (TCA)2 (H2 O)2 ] (TCA=1-mesityl-1,2,3-1H-triazole-4-carboxylate), that efficiently conducts photochemical water oxidation under near-neutral conditions is presented. The catalyst showed high stability under photolytic conditions for more than 3 h of photoirradiation. During electrochemical water oxidation, the catalytic system assembled a catalyst film, which proved not to be cobalt oxide/hydroxide as normally expected, but instead, and for the first time, generated a molecular cobalt complex that incorporated the organic ligand bound to cobalt ions. The catalyst film exhibited a low overpotential for electrocatalytic water oxidation (360 mV) and high oxygen evolution peak current densities of 9 and 2.7 mA cm-2 on glassy carbon and indium-doped tin oxide electrodes, respectively, at only 1.49 and 1.39 V (versus a normal hydrogen electrode), respectively, under neutral conditions. This finding, exemplified on the in situ generated cobalt complex, might be applicable to other molecular systems and suggests that the formation of a catalytic film in electrochemical water oxidation experiments is not always an indication of catalyst decomposition and the formation of nanoparticles.

Atomic H-Induced Mo2C Hybrid as an Active and Stable Bifunctional Electrocatalyst.

Mo2C nanocrystals (NCs) anchored on vertically aligned graphene nanoribbons (VA-GNR) as hybrid nanoelectrocatalysts (Mo2C-GNR) are synthesized through the direct carbonization of metallic Mo with atomic H treatment. The growth mechanism of Mo2C NCs with atomic H treatment is discussed. The Mo2C-GNR hybrid exhibits highly active and durable electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR). For HER, in an acidic solution the Mo2C-GNR has an onset potential of 39 mV and a Tafel slope of 65 mV dec-1, and in a basic solution Mo2C-GNR has an onset potential of 53 mV, and Tafel slope of 54 mV dec-1. It is stable in both acidic and basic media. Mo2C-GNR is a high-activity ORR catalyst with a high peak current density of 2.01 mA cm-2, an onset potential of 0.93 V that is more positive vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), a high electron transfer number n (∼3.90), and long-term stability.

Promotion Effects of ZrO2 on Mesoporous Pd Prepared by a One-Step Dealloying Method for Methanol Oxidation in an Alkaline Electrolyte

Composition-controllable three-dimensional mesoporous Pd-ZrO2 composites were synthesized through simple one-step dealloying of melt-spun Al-Pd-Zr ribbons. The Zr atoms in the precursor alloy transformed into ZrO2 nanoparticles with a size of approximately 3 nm after dealloying, and they embedded in the surface of the Pd ligaments. The composites exhibited remarkable catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation in an alkaline electrolyte due to the synergistic effect and electronic interaction between Pd and ZrO2. Among the composites, the Pd-ZrO2 sample dealloyed from the Al85Pd13Zr2 precursor alloy had the highest peak current density, which was approximately 3.6 times that of the mesoporous Pd sample.

A Highly Efficient Pt-NiO/C Electrocatalyst for Ammonia Electro-Oxidation

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for direct ammonia fuel cells has been researched intensively. Herein, a Pt-NiO/C catalyst is prepared and applied to ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR). The introduction of NiO can decrease the average crystallite sizes and modify the electronic structure of Pt. Compared with Pt/C catalyst, as-prepared Pt-NiO/C presents the larger electrochemical surface area (ECSA), higher peak current density, lower activation energy and better stability for AOR. It suggests that Pt-NiO/C is a promising system for AOR in direct ammonia fuel cells.

Experimental study and analysis on the electrically-assisted tensile behaviors of Inconel 718 alloy

Abstract The effect of pulsed current on tensile deformation of Inconel 718 superalloy with different initial microstructures was studied by experiment, which is of great importance for the subsequent application of electrically-assisted manufacturing (EAM) technology. The results show that the pulsed peak current with a density of 10 A/mm2 has no effect on stress responses, while the yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are reduced when the peak current density is above 25 A/mm2. The higher peak current density and frequency lead to more obvious thermal effect and thus result in the decrease of YS, UTS and elongation. For samples cutting from different directions, i.e. transverse direction (TD) and rolling direction (RD), no difference in YS can be observed with EAM. For samples with different initial microstructures, e.g., the as-received and the heat-treated samples, more significant decrease in flow stress and higher elongation can be observed for the former than for the latter. Notably decreasing YS was achieved without deteriorating the ductility at a peak current density of 25A/mm2 and a frequency of 400Hz. The physical mechanism for the obtained rules was revealed.

Bimetallic Nanocomposites of Palladium (100) and Ruthenium for Electrooxidation of Ammonia

Symmmetrically oriented Pd (100) and its bimetallic Pd (100)Ru electrocatalysts were chemically synthesized and their conductive properties employed in the electrochemical oxidation of ammonia. Electrochemical data based on EIS, SWV and CV revealed that the Pt/Pd (100)Ru electrode showed a better conductivity and higher catalytic response towards the electrooxidation of ammonia compared to Pt/Pd (100) electrode. This was demonstrated by the EIS results where Pt/Pd (100)Ru gave a charge transfer resistance (Rct) of 48.64 Ω, high exchange current and lower time constant (5.2738 x 10-1A and 3.2802 x 10-7 s /rad) values while the Pt/Pd (100) had values of 173.2 Ω, 1.4811 x 10-1A and 4.8321 10-7 s /rad. The drastic drop in Rct highlights the superiority of the Pt/Pd (100)Ru over the Pt/Pd (100) and confirms that facile interfacial electron transfer processes occur on the Pt/Pd (100)Ru electrode during the electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation. Investigations through voltammetry revealed that the Pt/Pd (100)Ru had a higher peak current density and a shift in potential to more negative values at ≈ -0.2 V and ≈ -0.4 V. The EASA value of Pt/Pd (100)Ru was found to be 119.24 cm2 whereas Pt/Pd (100) had value of 75.07 cm2. The high electrochemically active surface area of Pd (100)Ru at 119.24 cm2 compared to the 75.07 cm2 for Pd (100) strengthened this observation in performance between the two catalysts for ammonia electrooxidation.

(Invited) Pulsed Electrodeposition of Metallic Nanoparticles for Energy Conversion and Storage Applications

Metallic nanoparticles, including platinum, nickel and copper, were deposited on carbon substrates and titania nanotubes (TNTs) using a pulsed current electrodeposition technique with very low duty cycles, high peak current densities, and pulses delivered in both milli- and nano-second range employing triangular and ramp-down waveforms. The presence of nanoparticles, ranging from 2-50 nm in diameter, were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffractometry. Further electrochemical characterization was performed utilizing cyclic voltammetry and frequency response analysis. A simple yet robust mathematical model was developed to predict the influence of different electroplating parameters, including peak deposition current density, pulse waveform, pulse on-time and pulse off-time, on the size and catalytic activity of the resulting nano-catalyst layers. The model is based on progressive nucleation and considers contributions from both nucleation and growth currents. The model was further refined by considering all contributing factors towards growth current, including diffusion, ohmic and charge transfer phenomena as well as changing diffusion coefficients, during electrodeposition. According to the model, at high peak deposition current densities and low duty cycles, the ramp-down waveform yielded the highest nucleation rates, confirming the experimental findings in which nanoparticles generated with the above waveform produced the smallest average grain size, ranging from 2 to 5 nanometer in diameter for platinum nanocatalysts on carbon cloths and TNTs and 10 to 50 nm in diameter for nickel and copper nanoparticles deposited on TNTs.

Three-dimensional Sn rich Cu6Sn5 negative electrodes for Li ion batteries

Three-dimensional Sn rich Cu6Sn5 electrodes were fabricated by the pulse electrodeposition process on a porous nickel foam substrate to improve discharge capacity and cycleability of the SnCu alloy negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries. It was aimed to investigate the effect of peak current density on the structure and electrochemical performance of the Sn rich Cu6Sn5 electrodes. The morphology and the structures of the SnCu alloy electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses was also performed to investigate the structure of electrodeposited SnCu based electrodes. The electrochemical features of the electrodes were investigated by charge/discharge tests, cyclic voltammetry experiments and the ac impedance technique. Results showed that morphology of the electrodes exhibited a strong effect on the electrochemical performances and the best electrochemical performances were achieved in the alloy electrodes, which has dendritic like structure obtained using high peak current density.

Green Synthesis of Au-Based Nanomaterials Using an "All-in-One" Ionic Liquid and Their Electrocatalytic Properties for Glucose Electro-Oxidation

In a previous work, the ability of 2-hydroxyethylammonium formate ionic liquid to act as an “all-in-one” reaction medium was tested for Pd and Pd-NiO nanoparticles. In this work, the proof of its power to synthesize metallic nanoparticles was extended to the following materials: Au, AuPd, AuPt and AuCuO nanoparticles as well as Pd and CuO as controls. These materials were used as electrocatalysts for the glucose electro-oxidation reaction. According with XRD, crystallite sizes of 16.9, 11.8, 12.0, 12.6, 10.1 and 11 nm were obtained for Au/C, AuPd/C, AuPt/C, AuCuO/C, Pd/C and CuO/C, respectively. TEM micrographs showed nanoparticle sizes closed to crystallite sizes. For metallic mixtures, X-ray fluorescence revealed metallic compositions of Au60Pd40, Au90Pt10 and Au85CuO15. Moreover, thermogravimetric analyses showed metal mass contents between 24 to 32 wt. % (Vulcan carbon was used as support) for all materials except AuCuO which showed 4 wt. %. The electrocatalytic activity toward glucose electro-oxidation was tested as function of its concentration and temperature. All materials showed electrochemical response to the presence of glucose. For fuel cell applications, AuPt showed the most negative oxidation potential (-0.57 V vs. NHE at 40°C) and the highest peak current density (58.5 mA mg-1). For electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose detection, all materials showed good response to the successive addition of 1 mM glucose at short times (less than 10 seconds). However, due to its easiness to be synthesized, and its relative low cost, CuO/C can be an attractive option for non-enzymatic glucose sensors.

Kinetic Study of the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Alpha-Ni(OH)2 and Alpha-Ni(OH)2 Supported on Graphene Oxide

Development of active non-noble metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction is critical for a range of electrochemical energy storage and conversion technologies. We have recently discovered that alpha nickel hydroxide supported on graphene oxide (α-Ni(OH)2/GO) displays surprising activity for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. In comparison to α-Ni(OH)2 alone or graphene oxide alone, α-Ni(OH)2/GO possesses a lower onset potential, lower peak current potential, and higher peak current density, suggesting a synergy between the GO support and the α-Ni(OH)2 particles. To investigate the origin of this synergy, we present a comprehensive kinetic analysis of the supported and unsupported α-Ni(OH)2 catalyst. Rotating disk electrode linear sweep voltammetry furnishes electron transfer numbers, kinetic rate constants, and reaction orders which provide preliminary evidence for similar elementary steps occurring on supported and unsupported α-Ni(OH)2, but modifications in activity arising from differences in the activation energy for adsorption of O2 and of reaction intermediates.

Science and Technology of High Efficiency Solar Cells and Materials

Solar photovoltaics are expected to contribute as one of major energy sources in the future. For this end, further development of high-efficiency, low-cost and high reliable solar cells, materials, modules and systems is necessary. This paper reviews fundamentals of solar cells and materials and present recent R&D status of various solar cells and materials and their future. In order to realize high efficiency and highly reliable solar cells, understanding and controlling imperfections (defects) are very important. There are several loss mechanisms to be solved for realizing high-efficiency and highly reliable solar cells. 1) bulk recombination loss, 2) surface recombination loss, 3) interface recombination loss, 4) voltage loss, 5) fill factor loss, 6) optical loss, 7) insufficient –energy photon loss. Key technologies for reducing the above losses are high quality film growth, reduction in density of defects, optimization of carrier concentration in base and emitter layers, double-hetero (DH) junction structure, lattice-matching of active layers and substrate, surface and interface passivation, reduction in series resistance and leakage current, anti-reflection coating, photon recycling and so forth. The multi-junction solar cells have high efficiency potential of more than 50% due to wide photo response, while limiting efficiencies of single-junction solar cells are 31-32%. In order to realize high efficiency multi-junction (MJ) solar cells, understanding and controlling imperfections (defects) are also very important. The key issues for realizing super-high-efficiency MJ solar cells are 1) sub cell material selection, 2) tunnel junction for sub cell interconnection, 3) lattice-matching, 4) carrier confinement, 5) photon confinement, 6) anti-reflection in wide wavelength region and so forth. For concentrator applications by using MJ cells, the cell contact grid structure should be designed in order to reduce the energy loss due to series resistance, and tunnel junction with high tunnel peak current density is necessary. Because cell interconnection of sub-cells is one of the most important key issues for realizing high-efficiency MJ solar cells, effectiveness of double hetero structure tunnel diode is also presented in this paper. Present status of various solar cells efficiencies are presented: 46.0% for concentrator III-V compound 4-junction solar cell, 38.8% for 1-sun III-V compound 4-junctiion cell, 25.6% for single-crystal Si cell, 21.7% for CIGS cell, 21.5% for CdTe cell, 20.1% for Perovskite cell, 13.6% for a-Si based 3-junction cell, 11.9% for dye-sensitized cell and 11.1% for organic cell. Efficiency potential of various solar cells is also discussed.

A comparative evaluation of catalytic activities of carbon molecular sieve counter electrode toward different redox couples in dye-sensitized solar cells

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) has been proposed as counter electrode (CE) catalyst in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) for the first time. We evaluate the catalytic activities of CMS for the regeneration of different redox couples of I3−/I−, T2/T−, and Co3+/2+, and compare them with those of the traditional Pt CE, which is very expensive. For the I3−/I− redox couple, the CMS shows a relatively lower catalytic behavior than Pt due to large charge transfer resistance and low mass transport rate. Toward the organic T2/T− redox couple, the CMS is a much better catalyst than Pt, and the DSCs exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.30%, which is a great enhancement of 42.09% over the Pt CE based DSCs. Cyclic voltammograms depict that CMS displays a high peak current density and a low peak-to-peak separation, indicating a high catalytic activity of CMS toward T2/T− redox couple. For the Co3+/2+ redox couple, CMS presents a competitive catalytic activity relative to Pt and the DSCs shows a PCE of 8.73%.

A ternary nanocatalyst of Ni/Cr/Co oxides with high activity and stability for alkaline glucose electrooxidation

A novel ternary nanocatalyst of Ni-Cr-Co oxides is synthesized as anode electro-catalysts for glucose oxidation. The nanostructure is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), which indicates that the catalyst particles are well dispersed with average size of 30nm when the calcination temperature is 500°C. The electrochemical performance is evaluated via cyclic voltammetry (CV). Compared with the bimetallic Ni-Cr and Ni-Co nanocatalysts, Ni-Cr-Co electrocatalysts exhibites more negative onset potential (0.4V) and high oxidation peak current density (23.8mAcm−2) in alkaline media towards glucose oxidation. Meanwhile, the results also show that the Ni-Cr-Co nanomaterial possesses good performance of anti-poisoning capability, reproducibility and long-time stability, which make it an excellent candidate for fuel cell electrocatalyst.

Novel graphitic carbon nitride/graphite carbon/palladium nanocomposite as a high-performance electrocatalyst for the ethanol oxidation reaction

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) possesses high nitrogen content with excellent chemical and thermal stability, which also shows inherent electrochemical properties. Due to the extremely low electronic conductivity, pure g-C3N4 is usually restricted to electrocatalytic applications. In this study, we report the synthesis of graphite carbon (GC) supported g-C3N4 and palladium (Pd) electrocatalyst with excellent electronic conductivity for the ethanol oxidation reaction. In virtue of the ultra-thin structure of g-C3N4 deposited on the surface of GC, the crucial three-phase boundary from GC, g-C3N4 and Pd component are successfully formed in Pd@g-C3N4/GC electrocatalyst. The electrocatalytic performances on ethanol electrooxidation of Pd@g-C3N4/GC, Pd@g-C3N4, Pd@GC and Pd@amorphous carbon (AC) have been systematically investigated by the techniques of cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Pd@g-C3N4/GC displays the best electrocatalytic performances with a high oxidation peak current density of 2156A/g Pd and low on-set potential of 0.32V for the ethanol oxidation. The peak current density of Pd@g-C3N4/GC maintains at 1904A/g Pd after 200 continuous cyclic voltammetry cycles. The Pd@g-C3N4/GC composite material might be one of candidate electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction in direct ethanol fuel cells.