Amino acid-assisted preparation of reduced graphene oxide-supported PtCo bimetallic nanospheres for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol

In this work, we prepared reduced graphene oxide-supported PtCo nanospheres (PtCo/rGO) by a facile one-step hydrothermal method with the assistance of l -proline as the shape-directing agent. We systematically investigated the effects of various experimental conditions on the morphology and structure of the as-prepared PtCo/rGO hybrids. Compared with commercial Pt/C (10 wt%) and Pt/rGO catalysts, the as-prepared PtCo/rGO has better catalytic activity and poisoning resistance toward methanol electrooxidation and can be used as a promising catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells. Graphical abstract The rGO-supported PtCo nanosphere hybrids are successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method with the assistance of l -proline. l -proline acts as shape-controlled agent for synthesizing PtCo/rGO. The as-prepared PtCo/rGO hybrids exhibit a higher electrocatalytic activity and poisoning-resistant ability for methanol oxidation in acidic media.