The Impact of Pt-Nanocluster Deposition and Nafion® Content on the Oxygen Electroreduction Kinetics on Molybdenum Carbide Derived Carbon Synthesized at 1000°C

Molybdenum carbide derived carbon was used as a porous support for platinum catalyst. Platinum was deposited onto carbon support in the form of nanoparticles using NaBH4 reduction method in ethylene glycol, so that the loading of platinum was 8.5 wt% and the average size of platinum nanoparticles was 3 nm. The high resolution scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and the low temperature N2 sorption experiments were applied to characterize the structure of materials prepared. The kinetics of oxygen electroreduction was studied using cyclic voltammetry and rotating disc electrode methods in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. The content of Nafion® was varied in the range from 5 to 30 wt%. As synthesized carbon exhibited high specific surface area and Nafion® binder disperses uniformly, the percentage of Nafion® has only slight influence on the electrochemical activity. Prepared catalyst materials demonstrated high activity towards oxygen electroreduction.