Facile synthesis of graphene/N-doped carbon nanowire composites as an effective electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. (8th June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Babu, Kadumudi Firoz; Rajagopalan, Balasubramaniyan; Chung, Jin Suk; Choi, Won Mook
• Is Part Of: International journal of hydrogen energy. Volume 40:Number 21(2015)
• Page Start: 6827
• Page End: 6834
• Publication Date: 2015-06-08
• Subjects: Graphene -- Carbon nanowires -- Electrocatalyst -- Oxygen reduction reaction; Hydrogen as fuel -- Periodicals; Hydrogène (Combustible) -- Périodiques; Hydrogen as fuel; Periodicals; 665.81
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.04.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-3199

Abstract

Abstract: A novel metal-free electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the most important issues in fuel cells. Here, we report a facile method to synthesize reduced graphene oxide (rGO) decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanowires (rGO-CN) as an electrocatalyst for ORR. After the polymerization of polpyrrole nanowires on the rGO surface (rGO-PPy), the carbonization of rGO-PPy at 800 °C affords a unique nanostructured product by the integration of rGO sheets and the N-doped carbon nanowires with high nitrogen content. The morphology of rGO-CN is confirmed by TEM analysis and the chemical composition and interaction of the prepared samples are analyzed by XPS and FT-IR analysis. The electrocatalytic activity of rGO-CN toward ORR is also evaluated by the cyclic voltammetry. It is found that the rGO-CN electrode shows superior electrocatalytic performance toward ORR, compared to rGO and rGO-PPy, which demonstrates the promising potential of rGO-CN as a carbon-based, metal-free electrocatalyst for enhancing the electrocatalytic property towards ORR. Highlights: We synthesized graphene decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanowires as an ORR electrocatalyst. The N-doped carbon nanowires were formed by the carbonization of polypyrrole. The unique nanostructure and chemical integration of rGO-CN were characterized. The synthesized rGO-CN showed superior electrocatalytic activity.