Pt-Ni nanoparticles electrodeposited on rGO/CFP as high-performance integrated electrode for methanol oxidation

A novel carbon fiber paper loaded with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used as the substrate, on which Pt-Ni nanoparticles were electro-deposited as to prepare an integrated electrode by two electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry and square wave pulse). The electrochemical tests indicated two integrated electrodes had excellent performance towards methanol oxidation. Especially, Pt-Ni-CV(A)-rGO/CFP electrode showed the high-est electrocatalytic activity, and mass activity reached 5.33 A$mg?1Pt, which was about 5.6 times that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst (JM). Further, after annealing under a reducing atmosphere, two electrodes exhibited completely different changes in the aspects of morphology and electrocatalytic performance. It can be attributed to the changes of element distribution and morphology of nanoparticles after annealing. The as-prepared Pt-Ni-rGO/CFPs composite electrode is promising for integrated electrode of proton ex-change membrane fuel cells. This work opens an avenue for the preparation of high-performance integrated electrode.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study utilized a novel carbon fiber paper loaded with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the substrate, and Pt-Ni nanoparticles were electro-deposited on it to prepare a high-performance integrated electrode. The electrochemical tests revealed excellent performance of the integrated electrodes towards methanol oxidation. Additionally, significant changes in morphology and electrocatalytic performance were observed after annealing under a reducing atmosphere.