Title: Platinum-based electrocatalysts synthesized by depositing contiguous adlayers on carbon nanostructures

Abstract

High-surface-area carbon nanostructures coated with a smooth and conformal submonolayer-to-multilayer thin metal films and their method of manufacture are described. The preferred manufacturing process involves the initial oxidation of the carbon nanostructures followed by immersion in a solution with the desired pH to create negative surface dipoles. The nanostructures are subsequently immersed in an alkaline solution containing non-noble metal ions which adsorb at surface reaction sites. The metal ions are then reduced via chemical or electrical means and the nanostructures are exposed to a solution containing a salt of one or more noble metals which replace adsorbed non-noble surface metal atoms by galvanic displacement. Subsequent film growth may be performed via the initial quasi-underpotential deposition of a non-noble metal followed by immersion in a solution comprising a more noble metal. The resulting coated nanostructures may be used, for example, as high-performance electrodes in supercapacitors, batteries, or other electric storage devices.

Inventors:

Adzic, Radoslav; Harris, Alexander

Issue Date:

Tue Mar 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013

Research Org.:

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

OSTI Identifier:

1083018

Patent Number(s):

8404613

Application Number:

12/709,836

Assignee:

Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC (Upton, NY)

DOE Contract Number:  

AC02-98CH10886

Resource Type:

Patent

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY