A facile two-step electroreductive synthesis of anthraquinone/graphene nanocomposites as efficient electrocatalyst for O2 reduction in neutral medium

Anthraquinone/graphene nanocomposite was synthesized via a facile two-step electroreduction process and was characterized with various techniques. The electrocatalytic activity of the as-prepared anthraquinone/graphene nanocomposite towards O2 reduction was studied in neutral medium. Results show that most of oxygen-containing functional groups on graphene oxide were removed after electroreduction. Anthraquinone/graphene nanocomposite exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for two-electron reduction of oxygen, suggesting its potential as metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction.

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► Anthraquinone/graphene (AQ/GE) nanocomposite was prepared by two-step electroreduction method.
► Raman, FT-IR and XPS spectra indicate vanishing of most oxygen functionalities on graphene oxide via electroreduction.
► GE is an excellent support for grafting AQ electrocatalysts.
► AQ/GE nanocomposite showed high catalytic activity for 2e− reduction of oxygen in neutral medium.