Pt nanoparticles on graphene – polyelectrolyte nanocomposite: Investigation of H2O2 and methanol electrocatalysis

Abstract Poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) functionalized graphene oxide (GO) decorated with Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) was obtained and investigated. This hybrid nanocomposite material was morphologically characterized by several instrumental techniques like high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Good coverage of crystalline Pt nanoparticles was achieved, the average diameter being 2 nm, meanwhile in the absence of polyelectrolyte the average diameter increased up to 4 nm. The electrocatalytic properties of this hybrid nanocomposite against H 2 O 2 and methanol were ascertained by cyclic voltammetry. A modified glassy carbon electrode (GC) was able to reduce H 2 O 2 at positive potentials (starting from ∼150 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) meanwhile for methanol the ratio of the forward anodic peak current ( I f ) to the reverse anodic peak current ( I b ) was 1.42, indicating good tolerance of the catalyst towards the intermediate carbonaceous species accumulated on the electrode surface.