Poly(N-acetylaniline) functionalized graphene nanosheets supported Pt electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation

• Pt/PNAA-GN catalyst was prepared by in situ polymerization and reduction.
• Pt/PNAA-GN catalyst has much higher catalytic activity than as-prepared Pt/RGO.
• Pt/PNAA-GN catalyst has higher stability than as-prepared Pt/RGO.

In this paper, we report synthesis of electrocatalysts with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles supported on the surface of poly(N-acetylaniline) functionalized graphene nanosheets (Pt/PNNA-GN) by in situ polymerization and reduction, which is expected to be able to enhance the catalytic activity toward methanol oxidation. The physical properties of the obtained catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical activity and stability of the catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry. The XRD and TEM results show that the Pt nanoparticles dispersed on poly(N-acetylaniline) functionalized graphene nanosheets form face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure with relatively small size in diameter. The cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry results indicate that Pt/PNNA-GN is more active and has more stable catalytic characteristic than Pt/RGO.

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