Application of Black Pearl carbon-supported WO3 nanostructures as hybrid carriers for electrocatalytic RuSex nanoparticles

Abstract RuSex electrocatalytic nanoparticles were deposited onto hybrid carriers composed of Black Pearl carbon-supported tungsten oxide; and the resulting system's electrochemical activity was investigated during oxygen reduction reaction. The tungsten oxide-utilizing and RuSex nanoparticle-containing materials were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electrochemical diagnostic techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and rotating ring-disk voltammetry. Application of Black Pearl carbon carriers modified with ultra-thin films of WO3 as matrices (supports) for RuSex catalytic centers results during electroreduction of oxygen in 0.5 mol dm−3 H2SO4 (under rotating disk voltammetric conditions) in the potential shift of ca. 70 mV towards more positive values relative to the behavior of the analogous WO3-free system. Also the percent formation (at ring in the rotating ring-disk voltammetry) of the undesirable hydrogen peroxide has been decreased approximately twice by utilizing WO3-modified carbon carriers. The results are consistent with the bifunctional mechanism in which oxygen reduction is initiated at RuSex centers and the hydrogen peroxide intermediate is reductively decomposed at reactive WO3-modified Black Pearl supports. The electrocatalytic activity of the system utilizing WO3-modified Black Pearl supports has been basically unchanged upon addition of acetic acid, formic acid or methyl formate to the sulfuric acid supporting electrolyte.