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Modification of vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays with palladium nanoparticles for electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen

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Abstract

A novel type of palladium nanoparticles-modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes composite-electrode with electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction is presented. The nanocomposite was prepared by magnetron sputtering deposition with Pd in Ar atmosphere on MWNTs, which were synthesized on Ta plates by chemical vapor deposition. Both scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were employed to observe the surface morphology. The Pd nanoparticles, with diameters around 5 nm, are dispersed at the tips and on the sidewalls of the MWNTs. Voltammetry, amperometry and electrochemical impedance measurements were used to demonstrate the strong electrocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite in acid solution. Compared to the bare MWNT electrode, the PdNPs/MWNT nanocomposite shows a positive shift of the O2 reduction current at onset potentials from +400 to +500 mV, a concurrent 1.5-fold increase in the O2 reduction peak current with high stability. The successful preparation of PdNPs/MWNTs nanocomposite by magnetron sputtering deposition opens a new path for an efficient dispersion of promising nanoparticles for fuel cells and O2 sensors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China (2008AA06Z311) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 20773041) for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nano Science Research Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510640, People’s Republic of China

    Jian-Shan Ye, Yan-Cui Bai & Wei-De Zhang

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  1. Jian-Shan Ye
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  2. Yan-Cui Bai
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  3. Wei-De Zhang
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Correspondence to Wei-De Zhang.

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Ye, JS., Bai, YC. & Zhang, WD. Modification of vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays with palladium nanoparticles for electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen. Microchim Acta 165, 361–366 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-009-0143-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-009-0143-5

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