Pt nanoparticles anchored on polyelectrolyte functionalized carbon fibers as effective electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction
摘要
The development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is highly desired for advancing renewable energy technologies such as fuel cell and metal-air battery. Although Pt-based catalysts exhibit superior ORR activity, their high cost and low utilization efficiency limit widespread application. Herein, a facile non-covalent functionalization strategy using a cationic polyelectrolyte (poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), PDDA) is developed to modify carbon fibers for anchoring highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles. The positively charged PDDA layer facilitates the electrostatic assembly and uniform deposition of Pt nanoparticles on the carbon fibers surface. The resulting CF-Pt catalyst demonstrates outstanding ORR performance with a high half-wave potential (0.85 V), large limiting current density (6.17 mA cm−2), low Tafel slope (171 mV dec−1), and excellent long-term stability. In addition, an integrated electrode (CP-Pt) fabricated via the same approach exhibits remarkable practical performance in a primary Zinc-air battery, delivering a peak power density of 65.6 mW cm−2, an open-circuit voltage of 1.10 V, and stable discharge characteristics. This study provides a promising strategy for designing high-activity, durable, and cost-effective Pt-based catalysts for energy conversion devices.