Co(II) Porphyrin-MWCNT Nanoconjugate as an Efficient and Durable Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Mohammad Tasleem, Mamta Yadav, Vellaichamy Ganesan, Muniappan Sankar
Abstract
Recently, researchers are seeking alternatives to replace Pt-based oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts used in fuel cells due to their high cost and certain stability and selectivity issues. For this purpose, we have synthesized a nanoconjugate, cobalt(II) porphyrin (5,10,15-triphenyl-20-(4-aminophenyl)porphyrinatocobalt(II), CoTPP-NH 2 ) covalently attached to the acid-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes and characterized by various techniques including UV–vis spectroscopy, FTIR, TGA, FESEM, TEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The oxygen reduction performance of the nanoconjugate is checked in basic medium. The ORR onset potential of the nanoconjugate-modified electrode is nearly the same as that of the state-of-the-art platinum-carbon electrode and stable for more than 3000 CV cycles with a 20 mV difference in the onset potential before and after the 3000 CV cycles. The above extrapolations reveal that the nanoconjugate has efficient performance for the ORR in basic medium.