Enhanced photo-electrocatalytic performance of Pt/RGO/$ TiO_{2} $ on carbon fiber towards methanol oxidation in alkaline media

Abstract In the present work, a novel electrode composed of $ TiO_{2} $, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and Pt nanoparticles on carbon fiber (CF), denoted as Pt/RGO/$ TiO_{2} $/CF, has been fabricated successfully and employed as a photo-electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation in alkaline media. The sp...
Ausführliche Beschreibung

Abstract In the present work, a novel electrode composed of $ TiO_{2} $, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and Pt nanoparticles on carbon fiber (CF), denoted as Pt/RGO/$ TiO_{2} $/CF, has been fabricated successfully and employed as a photo-electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation in alkaline media. The spherical $ TiO_{2} $ nanoparticles are loaded on CF surface by an in situ method and wrapped by the gauze-like RGO. Meanwhile, the RGO effectively extends the absorption edge to visible light region based on the UV–vis diffuse reflectance absorption spectra (DRS) and promotes the good dispersion of Pt nanoparticles electro-deposited on the surface of RGO-wrapped $ TiO_{2} $. The as-prepared Pt/RGO/$ TiO_{2} $/CF electrode shows enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability compared with Pt/$ TiO_{2} $/CF and Pt/CF electrodes both with and without light irradiation. The RGO plays an important role for the enhancement of electrocatalytic and photo-electrocatalytic performance. Moreover, Pt/RGO/$ TiO_{2} $/CF presents a higher photo-electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation with light irradiation than that without light irradiation due to the synergistic effect among them. Ausführliche Beschreibung