Polythiophene-coated carbon nano boxes for efficient platinum-based catalysts for methanol electrooxidation

Yu Zhang; Yaolong Zhang; Ruxangul Jamal; Shuyue Xie; Abdukeyum Abdurexit; Tursun Abdiryim; Hongtao Yang; Kai Song

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.247

Polythiophene-coated carbon nano boxes for efficient platinum-based catalysts for methanol electrooxidation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Dec:675:24-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.247. Epub 2024 Jul 2.

Authors

Yu Zhang¹, Yaolong Zhang¹, Ruxangul Jamal², Shuyue Xie¹, Abdukeyum Abdurexit², Tursun Abdiryim³, Hongtao Yang², Kai Song¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Utilization of Carbon Based Energy Resources, College of Chemistry, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Utilization of Carbon Based Energy Resources, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Utilization of Carbon Based Energy Resources, College of Chemistry, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang, PR China. Electronic address: tursunabdir@sina.com.cn.

PMID: 38964122
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.247

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), it is essential to develop catalysts with high catalytic activity. However, constructing polyatomic doped carbon nanomaterials and understanding the interaction mechanisms between dopant elements remain significant challenges. In this study, we propose nitrogen-doped carbon nanobox (CNB) derived from Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-67 (ZIF-67) crystals as precursors to serve as carriers for highly efficient platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs). We synthesized platinum/poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene)/carbon nanobox (Pt/PProDOT/CNB) composites by wrapping CNB around PProDOT films via in situ oxidative polymerization. This unique structural design provides several advantages to the catalyst, including a large active surface area, numerous accessible electrocatalytic active centers, an optimized electronic structure, and good electronic conductivity. The Pt/PProDOT/CNB composites demonstrated excellent methanol oxidation performance, with a remarkable mass activity (MA) of 1639.9 mA mg^-1_Pt and a high electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of 160.8 m²/g. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited good CO resistance and outstanding durability.

Keywords: Electrocatalysts; Methanol electrooxidation; N-doped nanobox; Poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene); Pt nanoparticles.