Few-layered nitrogen-doped graphene wrapped three-dimensional titanium oxide flower as a robust support for Pt nanoparticles in catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction

Carbon materials are commonly used as electrocatalyst supports in fuel cells. Nevertheless, carbon corro-sion is a severe concern under strong acidic and oxidizing environments. Hence, developing a robust catalyst support is critical to ensuring fuel cells stability. Herein, we report a unique support of few-layered nitrogen-doped graphene wrapped three-dimensional (3D) flower-like anatase TiO2 (TiO2@N-Gr) via in-situ polymerizing dopamine on the surface of a 3D-TiO2 flower precursor, followed by pyrolysis. After loading Pt nanoparticles, Pt-TiO2@N-Gr-80 0 exhibits comparable ORR activity to the commercial Pt/C catalyst (E-1/2 = 0.91 V-RHE), superior stability in a 30 K cycling stability test and strong CO resistance capability. The outstanding performance of the Pt-TiO2@N-Gr-800 catalyst is attributed to the strong anti-corrosion property and high electronic conductivity of the nanocomposite support, as well as a strong metal and support interaction. The unique flower-like scaffold is also of great advantage for mass transfer. This work provides a facile strategy to synthesize robust nanocomposite supports for fuel cells.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, a unique carbon material was developed as a catalyst support for fuel cells. The material showed strong anti-corrosion property and high electronic conductivity, exhibiting comparable activity and stability to commercial catalysts. This work provides a facile strategy for synthesizing robust supports for fuel cells.