Remarkably enhanced activity of 4A zeolite modified Pt/reduced graphene oxide electrocatalyst towards methanol electrooxidation in alkaline medium

A novel 4A zeolite modified platinum/reduced graphene oxide (Pt/RGO-4A zeolite) electrocatalyst has been successfully synthesized by one-step chemical co-reduction method. The electrocatalytic performances of Pt/RGO-4A zeolite electrocatalyst for methanol electrooxidation are investigated in 1.0 M CH 3 OH containing 1.0 M KOH solution. The results demonstrate that, with loading of 10% of 4A zeolite, Pt/RGO-4A zeolite electrocatalyst shows higher current density of 319.40 mA mg −1 than Pt/RGO electrocatalyst (88.64 mA mg −1 ) at the potential of 0.70 V. In addition, Pt/RGO-4A zeolite electrocatalyst still exhibits high electrocatalytic activity even after 4000-s operation, suggesting satisfactory long-term durability. The remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic performances are attributed to the nanoporous structure of 4A zeolite, which significantly promotes the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and provides substantial fast flow paths for reactants. The results suggest a potential application of Pt/RGO-4A zeolite electrocatalyst to methanol electrooxidation. Graphical abstract Shown above are mass-normalized CV curves of all as-prepared Pt/RGO-4A zeolite electrocatalysts in 1.0 M CH 3 OH + 1.0 M KOH solution at scan rate of 50 mV s −1 .