Estudo da reação de redução de Oxigênio em soluções alcalinas sobre Platina dispersa sobre diferentes materiais carbonáceos

Abstract

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a fundamental reactionin the performance of próton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). In these systems, platinum (Pt) nanoparticles dispersed on Vulcan XC-72 carbon still remains the most widely used system to promote the RRO in aqueous solutions. In the last decades, new carbonaceous materials, as fullerene, single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and multiwall carbono nanotubes (MWCNT), graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), were developed and researched as new support materials for electron mediators in different areas, as electrochemistry, sensor, surface science and heterogeneous catalysis. In this work, Pt nanoparticles have been dispersed on Vulcan XC-72, MWCNT, GO e rGO by the alcohol reduction method using ethylene glycol as solvent and reduction agent. Physical characterization of these materials were conducted with energy dispersive Xray spectroscopy (EDS or EDX), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (DRX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties of these materials were investigated, in 1,0 mol L-1 KOH solutions, with the cyclic voltammetry, rotating disk electrode and techniques, and showed that these carbonaceous materials promote the ORR through a peroxide mechanism (2-electrons) and the electrocatalytic activity decreases in the order rGO >> CNT > Vulcan > GO. After modifications with Pt nanoparticles, the ORR proceeds via a direct mechanism (4-electrons) and the electrocatalytic activity decreases in the order Pt/CNT > Pt/Vulcan XC-72 > Pt/GO > Pt/rGO.