Supercritical Deposition Route of Preparing Pt/Graphene Composites and Their Catalytic Performance toward Methanol Electrooxidation

Abstract

The production of effective loading and direct deposition of Pt nanoparticles on graphene is difficult because this intriguing carbon material has highly hydrophobic surface properties. In this work, Pt/graphene sheet (GS) composites were successfully synthesized via a simple, effective, and environmentally benign one-pot supercritical carbon dioxide deposition route using dimethyl (1,5-cyclooctadiene) platinum(II) (PtMe2COD) as a soluble organometallic precursor. The preparation process obviates the need for solvents, which are often volatile and toxic. No post-treatment processes such as washing and drying are needed. Transmission electron microscopy shows that ultrafine metal nanoparticles with an average size as small as ∼2 nm are densely and evenly decorated on the hydrophobic surfaces of GS at Pt loadings up to 80 wt %. Electrochemical studies reveal that the prepared Pt/GS composites possess notably higher catalytic activity and better stability toward methanol electrooxidation in comparison with Pt/multiwalled carbon nanotube and Pt/carbon black composites. The supercritical carbon dioxide deposition method could be easily extended to the fabrication of other graphene-based metal composites with desirable properties by selecting suitable organometallic precursors.