Pt-Decorated, Nanocarbon-Intercalated, and N-Doped Graphene with Enhanced Activity and Stability for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) strictly determines the performance of a variety of energy storage and conversion devices, and platinum (Pt) has been commonly used as the efficient catalyst for ORR. Despite tremendous efforts, distribution of Pt nanoparticles on suitable supporting materials with structures and properties is a big challenge with a bright future. Here, we report a support material of conductive nanocarbon wedged N-doped graphene (NCWG), which shows a positive synergetic effect for Pt nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reaction under acidic conditions. Superior activity and stability were achieved in comparison with a commercial Pt/C catalyst, when ∼3 nm Pt nanoparticles were loaded on the NCWG support. The half cell ORR mass activity at 0.9 V of the Pt/NCWG catalyst (0.091 A mg–1) is around 3 times that of Pt/C (0.031 A mg–1), which remains 76.9% and 32.3% for Pt/NCWG and Pt/C, respectively, after an accelerated durability test. This study presents a catalyst support for energy conversion to achieve highly efficient oxygen reduction with further reducing noble metals.