Pt Nanoparticle-Loaded Graphene Aerogel Microspheres with Excellent Methanol Electro-Oxidation Performance

Platinum-decorated graphene aerogel microspheres were fabricated through a combined electrospraying, freeze-casting, and solvothermal process. Platinum nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution are evenly anchored on the graphene aerogel microspheres without agglomeration benefitting from the distinct center-diverging microchannel structure of the graphene aerogel microspheres, which results in the as-prepared catalysts presenting excellent electrocatalytic performance including high electrocatalytic activity and high poison tolerance toward methanol electro-oxidation, showing great potential for direct methanol fuel cell anode catalysts. In particular, the platinum-decorated graphene aerogel microspheres exhibit an extremely high mass activity of 1098.9 mA mg –1 toward methanol oxidation as well as excellent antipoisoning ability, which are dramatically enhanced compared with Pt particles dispersed on graphene oxide and commercial carbon black supports.