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Abstract
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In this study, polyaniline (PANI), prepared through an in-situ polymerization technique, was combined with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets to serve as a promising substrate for bimetallic platinum–copper (PtCu) catalyst in the form of RGO/PANI/Pt/Cu. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were conducted to study the physicochemical properties of the fabricated RGO/PANI/Pt/Cu. Electrochemical features of the proposed structure were investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. According to the results, employing the RGO/PANI nanocomposite as a support layer, and fabricating Pt/Cu alloys resulted in not only outstanding electrochemical performance but also high durability in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The onset potential (− 0.54 V) and peak current density (60.51 mA cm−2) of the RGO/PANI/Pt/Cu electrocatalyst were substantially improved compared with those of pure Pt electrocatalyst (− 0.44 V and 23.35 mA cm−2) in the MOR. Furthermore, the appropriate catalytic activity and stability of the RGO/PANI/Pt/Cu in the MOR were confirmed by 150-scan CV measurements.
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