Ultrafine Pt Nanoparticle-Decorated 3D Hybrid Architectures Built from Reduced Graphene Oxide and MXene Nanosheets for Methanol Oxidation

Abstract

The design and construction of high-performance platinum-based electrode catalysts with acceptable cost are the keys to advances in the field of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Herein, we report an efficient bottom-up approach for the large-scale production of ultrafine Pt NP-decorated 3D hybrid architectures by employing graphene (RGO) and MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets as cobuilding blocks. Benefiting from their distinct structural merits, such as highly interconnected porous carbon networks, large specific surface areas, homogeneous metallic Pt dispersion, and good electron conductivity, the resulting 3D Pt/RGO–Ti3C2Tx architectures express surprisingly high catalytic activity, reliable long-term stability, and strong poison tolerance as they are utilized as anode DMFC catalysts, which are more competitive than those for conventional Pt catalysts supported by carbon black, carbon nanotube, RGO, and Ti3C2Tx materials. Density functional theory calculation further reveals an optimized band structure of the RGO–Ti3C2Tx support as well as its strong electronic interactions with Pt NPs, which are essential for the exceptional electrocatalytic properties toward methanol oxidation reaction.