Preparation and Evaluation of Edge Selective Sulfonated Graphene by Chlorosulfuric Acid as an Active Metal‐Free Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Media

Abstract

In this work, development of efficient metal‐free electrocatalyst for the application in the cathode of fuel cell was investigated by a modified graphene (edge‐selective sulfonated graphene), which was synthesized via a facile chemical procedure. Below, the delamination of three‐dimensional architectures graphite into two‐dimensional graphene nanoplates and the presence of sulfonic acid groups in sulfonated graphene (SG) are revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Finally, the resulting edge SG is evaluated as the catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the alkaline media. It shows not only remarkable selectivity for ORR via a four‐electron pathway, but also a stable behavior as well as tolerance to the methanol crossover compared to platinum.