title: One - Step synthesis of nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide with NiCo nanoparticles for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media.
abstract: Development of anode catalysts and catalyst supporting carbonaceous material containing non-precious metal have attracted tremendous attention in the field of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). Herein, we report the synthesis and electrochemical properties of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) supported Co, Ni and NiCo nanocomposites. The metal NRGO nanocomposites, in which metal nanoparticles are embedded in the highly porous nitrogen-doped graphene matrix, have been synthesized by simply and one-pot method at a mild temperature using GO, urea choline chloride and urea as reducing and doping agent. The fabricated NiCo/NRGO exhibit remarkable electrocatalytic activity (with Tafel slope of 159.1mVdec(-1)) and high stability for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The superior performance of the alloy based NRGO is attributed to high surface area, well uniform distribution of high-density nitrogen, metal active sites and synergistic effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Chemistry and Nano Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Of Maragheh, P.O. Box 55181-83111, Maragheh, Iran. Electronic address: kakaei@maragheh.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kakaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Chemistry and Nano Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Of Maragheh, P.O. Box 55181-83111, Maragheh, Iran.
authors.forename: Kamaran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marzang
keywords: Ethanol oxidation; Graphene oxide electro-synthesis; Nickel cobalt nanoparticles; Nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheets