Application of Au Nanoparticles Supported Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells

In this study, the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) supported nitrogen-doped activated carbon (N-doped C) nanocomposites and their application for the electro-oxidation of ethanol in an alkaline medium is presented. The AuNPs have been deposited on the N-doped C material using chemical reduction with glucose and ascorbic acid as reducing agents and microwave-assisted synthesis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) were used for the characterization of morphology, structure and composition of the resulting nanocomposites, whereas, the electrocatalytic activity of the ones for the electro-oxidation of ethanol in an alkaline medium has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chrono-techniques. It has been determined that the AuNPs/N-doped C nanocomposites have a higher electrocatalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of ethanol than the pure Au or N-doped carbon alone, indicating the synergistic effect of AuNPs and N-doped carbon material. The obtained N-doped carbon supported AuNPs catalyst seems to be an efficient anode material for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs).