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Carbon nanotube/graphene nanocomposites built via surfactant-mediated colloid assembly as metal-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

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Abstract

The development of composites from 1D and 2D nanocarbon building blocks, namely carbon nanotubes and graphene layers, with enhanced properties or novel functionalities is an emerging challenge in material science. Herein, we developed a colloid-based approach using surfactants and polymers to non-covalently functionalize multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs), and to fabricate GnP@MWNT nanocomposites via an electrostatic-driven assembly process in aqueous solution. In the assembly process, two building methods were used and compared (bulk mixing and adapted layer-by-layer assembly), using surfactant and polymer/surfactant combinations as the dispersants for the initial nanomaterials. After their characterization by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and BET analysis, the nanocomposites were evaluated as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Results show that the type of the dispersant (namely the presence of polymer) plays a more relevant role than the specific building method in almost all the ORR parameters. Further, the nanocomposites show selectivity toward the 2-electron pathway oxygen reduction for the electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide. The development and optimization of further nanocomposite electrocatalysts can be pursued using this type of versatile and robust assembly method.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support through project UIDB/00081/2020. Prof. M. Azenha and coworkers are acknowledged for the support with Raman and BET experiments. B. Abreu also acknowledges financial support from FCT through the PhD grant PD/BD/128129/2016. M. Nunes acknowledges project PTDC/QUI-ELT/28299/2017 by its work contract, funded by FCT/MCTES through national funds and co-funded by FEDER (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-28299).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, CIQUP, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

    Bárbara Abreu, Marcos Rocha & Eduardo F. Marques

  2. REQUIMTE-LAQV, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

    Bárbara Abreu, Marta Nunes & Cristina Freire

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  1. Bárbara Abreu
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  2. Marcos Rocha
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  3. Marta Nunes
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  5. Eduardo F. Marques
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Contributions

B. Abreu was involved in investigation, formal analysis, validation, writing—original draft. M. Rocha helped in investigation. M. Nunes contributed to methodology, formal analysis, validation, writing—review & editing. C. Freire was involved in methodology, validation. E. F. Marques helped in conceptualization, methodology, resources, supervision, funding acquisition, writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to Marta Nunes or Eduardo F. Marques.

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Abreu, B., Rocha, M., Nunes, M. et al. Carbon nanotube/graphene nanocomposites built via surfactant-mediated colloid assembly as metal-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. J Mater Sci 56, 19512–19527 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-021-06463-3

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