Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen doped graphene nano-walls deposited on carbon paper as oxygen reduction reaction catalyst for fuel cell

Recently fuel cells are gaining importance as a source of green energy. Platinum nano particles supported on carbon (Pt/C) have long been considered as best catalyst for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Deactivation by carbon monoxide, agglomeration of nano particles on long time use and high cost are the major issues that Pt/C catalyst suffers from. Efforts are made to reduce or replace Pt/C catalyst in fuel cells by adopting methods like pulse electro deposition for depositing Pt on carbon or by using non platinum group metals (NPGM) as catalysts. Nitrogen doped graphene was found to be a promising electrode for ORR. This work describes the synthesis and characterization of nitrogen doped graphene nanowall(s) (N-GNWs) as an electrode for ORR in fuel cells. The electrode current results of N-GNWs were compared with that of pulse electrodeposited platinum electrode tested under similar conditions and a 13% increase in current density was observed for 15 minute nitrogen implanted GNWs sample at an over potential of -0.95V. The results offer great potential of using N-GNWs for ORR in fuel cells