Highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles on 2-aminophenoxazin-3-one functionalized MWCNTs surface for methanol electro-oxidation in alkaline media

A simple and rapid synthesis method to prepare well-dispersed Pd nanoparticles on 2-aminophenoxazin-3-one (APZ) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd/APZ-MWCNTs) is presented. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) as well as Raman spectrum are used for the catalysts characterization. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pd/APZ-MCWNTs catalyst for methanol oxidation have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods. In contrast to the Pd nanoparticles supported on acid-treated MWCNTs and carbon black catalysts, the electrochemical results demonstrate that Pd/APZ-MCWNTs exhibit better electrocatalytic activities and stability, mainly due to the uniform dispersion and small particle size of Pd nanoparticles on the APZ-MWCNTs supports. The results imply that the Pd/APZ-MWCNTs catalyst shows the better electrocatalytic performances and has a promising application potential in fuel cells. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.