Stable silver nanoclusters electrochemically deposited on nitrogen-doped graphene as efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Metal nanoclusters exhibit unusually high catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their small size and unique electronic structures. However, controllable synthesis of stable metal nanoclusters is a challenge, and the durability of metal clusters suffers from the deficiency of dissolution, aggregation, and sintering during catalysis reactions. Herein, silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) (diameter < 2 nm) were controllably electrochemically reduced on nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) using effective single-stranded oligonucleotide sequences (ssDNA) as the performed template in absence of any other reluctant. The ssDNA is significant for providing AgNCs with growth template and anchoring the cluster on graphene surface. The strong interaction between the AgNCs, ssDNA and NG renders the as-synthesized AgNCs/NG composite with high-performance onset potential, half-wave potential and mass activity for ORR approaching to commercial Pt/C catalyst, and remarkably superior ORR performance than NG and Ag nanoparticle/NG. Importantly, the AgNCs/NG composite shows excellent methanol tolerance and accelerated electrochemical stability (8000 cycles), which is vital in high performance fuel cells, batteries and nanodevices. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.