Nitrogen-doped graphene supporting PtSn nanoparticles with a tunable microstructure to enhance the activity and stability for ethanol oxidation

In this work, a series of nitrogen-doped graphenes (NGs) were prepared by deriving from pyrolysis of graphite oxide (GO) with urea at different temperatures and high-dispersed PtSn nanoparticles with tunable size were then deposited onto nitrogen-doped graphene (PtSn/NG) by an easy-controlled template-free method. The PtSn/NG and undoped graphene (PtSn/G) were carried out as anode catalysts for the electrooxidation of ethanol. The microstructure and morphology of the synthesized catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic performance toward ethanol oxidation was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It is found that the pyrolysis temperature is an important factor which influenced the contents of nitrogen and functional groups of nitrogen. And then, the functional groups of nitrogen affect the distribution, size, and contents of PtSn nanoparticles. The as-obtained optimal PtSn/NG-600 sample with narrower size distribution and high content of PtSn exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity and stability compared with the other samples, implying the potential application for ethanol fuel cells.