Controllable Deposition of Platinum Nanoparticles on Graphene As an Electrocatalyst for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) with uniform size and high dispersion have been successfully assembled on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) functionalized graphene oxide via a sodium borohydride reduction process. The loading concentration of Pt NPs on graphene can be adjusted in the range of 18–78 wt %. The obtained Pt/graphene nanocomposites are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results show that the Pt NPs with sizes of approximate 4.6 nm uniformly disperse on graphene surface for all Pt loading densities. Electrochemical studies reveal that the Pt/graphene nanocomposites with electrochemically active surface area of 141.6 m2/g show excellent electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction. The present method is promising for the synthesis of high performance catalysts for fuel cells, gas phase catalysis, and sensors.