Ethylene diamine-grafted carbon nanotubes: A promising catalyst support for methanol electro-oxidation

In this paper, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were modified by ethylene diamine (ED) and then used as the support of the Pt–Ru catalyst. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were employed to study the interaction between ED and CNTs. The morphology and elemental composition of the as-prepared Pt–Ru/ED/CNT electrode were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pt–Ru/ED/CNT electrode for methanol electro-oxidation were investigated by CV, polarization method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The long-term stability of the Pt–Ru/ED/CNT electrode was also evaluated. Compared with the Pt–Ru/CNT electrode, the Pt–Ru/ED/CNT electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic properties and long-term stability. These results show that the ED-grafted CNTs are the promising catalyst support for methanol electro-oxidation.