Enhanced electrocatalytic activity and durability of highly monodisperse Pt@PPy-PANI nanocomposites as a novel catalyst for the electro-oxidation of methanol

• Published in: RSC advances 2016-01, Vol.6 (56), p.5851-5857
• Main Authors: Karatepe, Özlem, Y ld z, Yunus, Pamuk, Handan, Eris, Sinan, Dasdelen, Zeynep, Sen, Fatih
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c6ra06210e

Highly monodisperse Pt nanocomposites (Pt@PPy-PANI NPs) supported on polypyrrole (PPy)-polyaniline (PANI) have been successfully synthesized for the first time by a simple one-pot process, which involves the simultaneous reduction of the conducting polypyrrole (PPy)-polyaniline (PANI) and Pt precursors using DMAB (dimethylamine borane) as a reductant under ultrasonic conditions. Pt@PPy-PANI NPs have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All the results show that highly crystalline and stable colloidal Pt@PPy-PANI NPs have been formed as one of the most active and long-lived catalysts with superior reusability performance for the electro-oxidation of methanol at room temperature. Compared to PPy or PANI supported Pt nanoparticles, Pt@PPy-PANI NPs exhibit extraordinary electrocatalytic activity and stability toward the electro-oxidation of methanol, showing their potential use as a new electrode material for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). It should be primarily attributed to the PPy-PANI, which not only provided larger surface area and flaws for the deposition of Pt nanoparticles, but also the adsorption of more methanol molecules for further oxidation. Highly monodisperse Pt NPs@PPy-PANI exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and stability toward electro-oxidation of methanol as a new electrode material.