Methanol and Ethanol Electro-oxidation on to Platinum Loaded Reduced Graphene Oxide Surface for Fuel Cell Application
Debalina Das
Department of Chemistry, Electro-Chemistry Laboratory, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan-731235, India.
I. Basumallick *
Department of Chemistry, Electro-Chemistry Laboratory, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan-731235, India
Susanta Ghosh *
Integrated Science and Research, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan-731235, India
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
We report here electro-oxidation of methanol (MeOH) and ethanol (EtOH) onto Platinum (Pt) loaded reduced graphene oxide/Carbon-felt surface (Pt/rGO/C-felt). Graphene oxide was prepared by Hummer’s method using exfoliation technique. Apparent activation energies of electro-oxidation of methanol (MeOH) and ethanol (EtOH) onto Pt/rGO/C-felt and Pt/C-felt surfaces were determined from cyclic-voltammetry studies at different temperatures. It was observed that apparent activation energies of MeOH and EtOH oxidation onto Pt/rGO/C-felt surfaces have been reduced compared to those of Pt/C-felt surface. This indicates rGO surface plays a key role in enhancing electro-oxidation process providing efficient adsorption and de-protonation sites.
Keywords: Reduced graphene oxide, platinum, methanol and ethanol oxidation, activation energy.