Improving the electrical catalytic activity of Pt/TiO2 nanocomposites by a combination of electrospinning and microwave irradiation

One of the greatest challenges in preparing TiO2-based oxygen electrodes for PEM fuel cells is increasing the electrical catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticle/TiO2 composites by improving the dispersion of Pt. This article describes a new way for improving the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles by depositing them on TiO2 fibers and using microwave irradiation. The Pt nanoparticles used in this experiment is about 5 nm in diameter and the diameter of TiO2 fibers could be controlled ranging from 30 to 60 nm and Pt nanoparticles still keep their size when the deposition amount is increased on the surface of TiO2 fibers. The Pt nanoparticles were highly dispersed without agglomeration even at a weight percentage of composites as high as 40%. The position of Pt nanoparticles located in the fiber and the composition of Pt/TiO2, which had great influence on the electric conductivity and electrical catalytic activity of the composite, could be easily controlled.