Oxygen reduction on gold nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrodes in acid solution

The electrochemical reduction of oxygen has been studied on gold nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (GNP/MWCNT) modified glassy carbon (GC) electrodes in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique. The oxygen reduction behaviour of GNP/MWCNT electrodes was compared with that of a bulk gold electrode. Electrochemical studies indicate that the GNP/MWCNT catalyst shows a remarkable electrocatalytic activity towards O-2 reduction in acid media. The RDE results reveal that the reduction of oxygen proceeds by a two-electron pathway at low overpotentials. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.