Influence of Hierarchical Porosity in Carbon Material on Electrocatalytic Property of Supported Pt Nanoparticles

The influence of hierarchical porosity on electrocatalytic property was investigated with Pt nanoparticles supported on three types of carbon materials, namely, commercial Vulcan XC-72, ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-5, and hierarchical carbon aerogel (HCA). The electrocatalytic activity of carbon supported Pt nanoparticles was verified by cyclic voltammetry in H2SO4 and CH3OH solution. Pt/HCA presented superior performance with higher peak current (7.5 mA·cm−2) and electrochemical active area (128.0 m2·g−1). This could be attributed to the carbon aerogel with continuous but nonperiodical mesopore structure, which facilitated dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and mass transport around reactants and products.