Issue 51, 2014

Electrocatalytic activity of metalloporphyrins grown in situ on graphene sheets toward oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium

Abstract

A series of non-noble-metal catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), based on metal 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (M-THPP, M: Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+) grown on poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) modified reduced graphene oxide (PSS-rGO), were fabricated using an in situ solvothermal synthesis method. The morphology of the M-THPP/PSS-rGO was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were utilized to analyse the unusual interactions between the metalloporphyrins and graphene sheets. Electrochemical measurements using rotating disk electrode (RDE) and rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) techniques were employed to study the catalytic activity and the mechanism of the oxygen reduction reaction on the as-synthesised M-THPP/PSS-rGO catalysts in an alkaline medium. The half-wave potential for the ORR on the CoTHPP/PSS-rGO catalyst was found to be around −0.22 V vs. SCE, which was much higher than those on the other M-THPP/PSS-rGO catalysts and similar to that on Pt/C (−0.20 V vs. SCE). RDE and RRDE results show that the ORR process proceeds mainly via an almost 4-electron pathway on CoTHPP/PSS-rGO. The catalyst stability tests disclose that the CoTHPP/PSS-rGO is much more stable than the other M-THPP/PSS-rGO composites. The assembled CoTHPP/PSS-rGO catalyst possesses high activity, good long-term stability, excellent tolerance to the crossover effect of methanol and a facile 4-electron pathway for ORR, which could be used as a promising Pt-free catalyst in an alkaline direct methanol fuel cell.

Graphical abstract: Electrocatalytic activity of metalloporphyrins grown in situ on graphene sheets toward oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Mar 2014
Accepted
28 May 2014
First published
28 May 2014

RSC Adv., 2014,4, 26653-26661

Author version available

Electrocatalytic activity of metalloporphyrins grown in situ on graphene sheets toward oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium

L. Jiang, M. Li, L. Lin, Y. Li, X. He and L. Cui, RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 26653 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA02208D

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