Graphene nanosheets-polypyrrole hybrid material as a highly active catalyst support for formic acid electro-oxidation

A novel electrode material based on graphene oxide (GO)-polypyrrole (PPy) composites was synthesized by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization. Palladium nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter of 4.0 nm were loaded on the reduced graphene oxide(RGO)-PPy composites by a microwave-assisted polyol process. Microstructure analysis showed that a layer of coated PPy film with monodisperse Pd NPs is present on the RGO surface. The Pd/RGO-PPy catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic activity and stability for formic acid electro-oxidation when the weight feed ratio of GO to pyrrole monomer is 2 : 1. The superior performance of Pd/RGO-PPy catalysts may arise from utilization of heterogeneous nucleation sites for NPs and the greatly increased electronic conductivity of the supports.