Catalytic performance and synthesis of a Pt/graphene-TiO 2 catalyst using an environmentally friendly microwave-assisted solvothermal method

Abstract A Pt/graphene-TiO 2 catalyst was prepared by a microwave-assisted solvothermal method and was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry. The cubic TiO 2 particles were approximately 60 nm in size and were distributed on the graphene sheets. The Pt nanoparticles were uniformly distributed between the TiO 2 particles and the graphene sheet. The catalyst exhibited a significant improvement in activity and stability towards the oxygen reduction reaction compared with Pt/C, which resulted from the high electronic conductivity of graphene and strong metal-support interactions.