AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT OF FUNCTIONALISED GRAPHENE COMPOSITED WITH NCNT AND FE-NCNT ON THE OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTION VIA PHYSICAL MIXING METHOD

Abstract

Oxygen reduction reaction plays a major role in fuel cell applications to generate electricity by an electrochemical reaction. In this study, functionalised graphene composited with Fe-NCNT or NCNT were investigated on its ORR activity using a physical mixing method. Initially, functionalised graphene was produced via oxidation of graphene. NCNT and Fe-NCNT was obtained from the previously prepared samples using chemical vapour deposition technique and electrochemical reduction method for Fe-NCNT. The physical mixing between functionalised graphene and NCNT or Fe-NCNT was performed using sonication with the presence of pyrrole to produce the desired nanocatalyst. The surface morphologies and microstructures of the synthesised nanocatalysts were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Surface chemical functionality of the nanocatalysts was investigated using X-ray photoelectron microscopy. Meanwhile, the ORR performance of nanocatalysts in a half cell were investigated using cyclic voltammetry techniques in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes. From this study, agglomeration of functionalised graphene (f-graphene) was observed on the Fe-NCNTs indicating a hindrance in transfer of electrons within the catalyst surface. NCNT/f-graphene showed to contain higher percentage of pyridinic-N which claimed to have favored the catalytic activity compared to Fe-NCNT/f-graphene. Likewise, a higher onset potential was recorded for NCNT/f-graphene which indicated a higher ORR activity than the Fe-NCNT/f-graphene.

Keywords

• Oxygen reduction reaction
• Nanocatalyst
• Functionalised graphene
• Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes
• Fuel cell.