Nanoscale hybrid materials are promising for use as electrocatalystsdue to their chemical and physical properties. Unlike carbon nanotubes,vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) have a unique structure thatexposes large amounts of edge-plane graphite along the sidewalls, suggestingthat hybrid VACNF-nanoparticle structures may have particularly goodelectrochemical response for electrocatalytic reactions. We are investigatinghow nanoparticle deposition method and substrate-nanoparticle interactionsaffect the catalytic activity and stability of platinum nanoparticles onVACNFs. We use electrochemical and electroless deposition on both as-grownVACNFs and on VACNFs modified with functional organic monolayers to improvenanoparticle-VACNF adhesion. We evaluate the catalytic behavior of this hybridsystem using the methanol oxidation reaction as a model reaction. To evaluatecatalyst stability, we use a combination of cyclic voltammetry and electronmicroscopy. Our results show that these Pt/VACNF hybrid materials are promisingfor use in electrocatalysis.

Electrocatalytic activity and stability of platinum-carbon hybrid nanomaterials

239th National Meeting (2010)

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