Development and Exploration of Nanoparticle Decorated Carbon Supports (Graphene and Graphene Oxide) for Energy Collection, Storage, and Conversion
Abstract
Solution-processible graphene, produced by the chemical exfoliation of graphite, represents a new class of polyaromatic carbon materials that can have superior electrical conduction properties compared to organic materials. Graphene with high surface areas can serve as supports for metal nanoparticles and form an integral component of energy storage or conversion devices such as fuel cells, batteries or photoelectric cells. The surface chemistry and structure of the catalyst support significantly influence its dispersion and their durability. Our motivation for this work is two-fold. Firstly, we researched on the chemical methods to coat graphene with inorganic nanoparticles. A one-pot synthesis method was used to produce a wide range of metal nanoparticle-decorated (Pt, Au, Ag, Pt/Ru) graphene oxide (GO) hybrids as well as inorganic particle-graphene (TiO2/PbSe/G) hybrids. These hybrids were then evaluated for their performance in energy conversion devices and two examples were chosen, namely stacked fuel cells as well as photodetector devices. We demonstrated that reduced graphene oxide (rGO) had the potential to supersede the conventional carbon black as catalyst support due to its excellent electrocatalytic performance. Besides exploring the use of GO as catalyst support, electrochemically exfoliated few-layer graphene flakes were employed as charge collection and dispersion matrix in a hybrid photoconductive film.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 17, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA572587
Entities
People
- Kian P. Loh
Organizations
- National University of Singapore