Hybrid Nanomaterials Based on Graphene and Gold Nanoclusters for Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of Oxygen

Nanocomposites based on gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with polyvinyl pyrrolidone as ligand and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) have been prepared and employed as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). AuNCs were synthesized through a wet chemical approach and then loaded onto the RGO. The as-prepared hybrid materials were pyrolyzed to remove the organic ligands. The composites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as other techniques. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that the hybrid materials exhibited effective ORR activity in alkaline media. Among a series of samples tested, the pyrolyzed sample with 50 % AuNCs mass loading exhibited the best activity, superior than AuNCs alone, RGO alone, and the others, in terms of onset potential and kinetic current density as well as durability. The method here may provide a generic approach to prepare supported noble metal nanoclusters with excellent reactivity and robust stability for ORR.