Polypyrrole-modified graphitized carbon black as a catalyst support for methanol oxidation

Surface-modified graphitized carbon black (GCB) was produced through carbonization of polypyrrole (Ppy) on the GCB surface to be used as a catalyst support for Pt nanoparticles in electro-oxidation of methanol. The Ppy modification led to the enhancement of the catalytic activity for the Pt catalysts. The improvement is largely attributed to uniform dispersion of the Pt nanoparticles as the Ppy modification appears to reduce the agglomeration of the Pt nanoparticles. The chronoamperometry and the accelerated cycling tests indicated that the Ppy modification did not improve the long-term stability of the GCB support for Pt. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (M EST) of Korea for the Center for Next Generation Dye-sensitized Solar Cells (No. 2011-0001055) and research fund from Hanyang Universitiy (HYU-2011-T)