Phosphine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide, A High-Performance Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction,

Ali A. Ensafi, Mohsen Golbon Haghighi, Mehdi Jafari-Asl,

Here, a new approach for the synthesis of phosphine-functionalized graphene oxide (GO-PPh2) was developed. Using a simple method, diphenylphosphine group was linked to the hydroxyl group of OHfunctionalized graphene that existing at the graphene surface. The electrochemical activity of GO-PPh2 for electrochemical oxygen reduction was checked. The results demonstrated that the new carbon hybrid
material has a powerful potential for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Moreover, GOPPh2 as an electrocatalyst for ORR exhibited tolerance for methanol or ethanol as a result of crossover effect. In comparison with commercial Pt/C and Pt/rGO electrocatalysts, results showed that GO-PPh2 has a much higher selectivity, better durability, and much better electrochemical stability towards the ORR.
The proposed method based on GO-PPh2 introduce an efficient electrocatalyst for further application in fuel cells.