Preparation of platinum catalysts supported on functionalized graphene and the electrocatalytic properties for ethanol oxidation in direct ethanol fuel cell

In this work, we develop a facile method under mild conditions to synthesize 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (taurine)-functionalized-graphene (T-fGN) and to prepare Pt catalysts supported on T-fGN through a self-assembly route. The structure, morphologies and electrochemical properties of T-fGN and Pt/T-fGN were examined by atomic force microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and different electrochemical techniques. The electrocatalytic properties of Pt/T-fGN were investigated for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in comparison to Pt supported on Vulcan XC-72 (Pt/VC). The results indicate that the as-prepared Pt/T-fGN catalyst possesses a much higher electrocatalytic activity, faster reaction kinetics and a better stability for EOR than Pt/VC.