Novel composite graphene/platinum electro-catalytic electrodes prepared by electrophoretic deposition from colloidal solutions

Graphene, platinum nanoparticles, and the composite of graphene with platinum nanoparticles have been synthesized to make them amenable to efficient electrophoretic deposition (EPD) onto indium-tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates to produce graphene-platinum electro-catalytic electrodes. We employed two approaches to form these electrodes, namely sequential layer-by-layer (LbL) EPD from colloidal solutions containing microscale graphene sheets and nanoscale Pt particles, and a single-step EPD from a colloidal solution containing graphene:Pt composite nanoparticles. These electrodes demonstrated electro-catalytic activity in the I-/I-3(-) redox system and for hydrogen generation from sulfuric acid. The electrode prepared from the colloidal solution of graphene:Pt composite nanoparticles showed superior electro-catalytic performance over the layer-by-layer electrode. These novel electrodes hold promise in applications such as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and hydrogen generation from acid. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.