? 2022Many attempts are being made globally to synthesize and functionalize different nanomaterials to facilitate the commercial application of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. In this work, firstly nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) was synthesized and mixed with carbon nanotubes (CNT) followed by the incorporation of Pd- and Fe-content through a combined thermal annealing and polyol process to obtain a unique nanohybrid Pd-Fe2O3 decorated NRGO-CNT to be applied as an effective electrocatalyst. The experimental analyzes suggest thorough distribution of the Pd-Fe2O3 nanoparticles over NRGO and CNT layers. The electrochemical activity of the Pd-Fe2O3/NRGO-CNT nanohybrid showed the enhanced electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of ~44.92 m2/g than that of Pt/C ~37.86 m2/g. The developed nanohybrid also displays remarkable enhancement in their stability in contrast to NRGO-CNT/Pd, NRGO/Pd and commercially available Pt/C catalyst. These interesting features make the developed nanohybrid suitable for fuel cell applications.
NSTL
Elsevier
