Facile fabrication of PtCuAu nanoparticles modified reduced graphene oxide with high electrocatalytic activity toward formic acid oxidation

A facile electrochemical approach to synthesize reduced graphene oxide (RGO) modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode as an excellent support for anchoring PtCuAu nanoparticles is reported. The as-prepared PtCuAu/RGO catalyst has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electrochemical methods. It is found that the PtCuAu nanoparticles formed alloy structures and are evenly distributed on the RGO substrate. Compared with Pt/RGO, PtCu/RGO, PtAu/RGO and CuAu/RGO electrodes, the PtCuAu/RGO catalyst exhibits distinctly enhanced current density and nice stability toward formic acid electrooxidation. The experimental results indicate that the prepared PtCuAu/RGO catalyst has enormous potential applications in direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFC).