Fabrication of new gas diffusion electrode based on carbon quantum dot and its application for oxygen reduction reaction

•Carbon quantum dot is synthesized by electrochemical method.•Gas diffusion electrode based Carbon quantum dot on carbon paper is prepared.•Carbon quantum dot is used for oxygen reduction in alkaline media.•Tafel slope and charge transfer in Carbon quantum dot is very close to Pt/C.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are prepared by one-pot electrochemical techniques cyclic voltammetry (CV) and AC impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at different potentials using graphite rods in ethanol alkaline electrolyte. The electrochemically synthesized CQD is carefully characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Ultra violet absorption, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, Raman spectrum, Chemiluminescence emission and electrochemical techniques. The morphology and microstructure methods confirm the formation of high quality CQD. The EIS of graphite electrode in NaOH/EtOH confirms the corrosion loop at low frequencies and as potential increases the charge transfer resistance decreases. Finally, we design a new gas diffusion electrode based on CQD pasted on carbon paper for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells and compared it with commercially PtC catalysts using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry.

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