Novel synthesis of low-loading Pt/graphene via thermal expansion and its superior ORR performance

In this paper, graphene with low platinum loading was prepared using the thermal expansion method, resulting in uniform dispersion of ultrafine Pt nanoparticles. The synthesized Pt/graphene exhibits a large specific surface area, abundant graphene defects, and homogeneous Pt particles. In 0.1 M KOH, the catalyst exhibits a half-wave potential of 0.84 V (vs. RHE), a limiting current density of 5.66 mA cm-2, and an electron transfer number of 3.9. The performance is close to that of the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C and outperforms the 10 wt% Pt/C. Moreover, it demonstrates better charge transfer kinetics and exceptional stability compared to the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C. This provides a promising avenue for the development of novel Pt-based catalysts.