Immobilization of Pt nanoparticles on hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile-based nanofiber paper

The electrochemical activity of catalysts strongly depends on the uniform distribution of monodisperse Pt nanoparticles without aggregates. Here, we propose a new hydrolysis-assisted smearing method for Pt loading on a free-standing paper-type electrode. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based nanofiber paper was used as the electrode, and it acted as a Pt support. Hydrolysis of the electrode tripled the number of active nucleation sites for Pt adsorption on the PAN nanofibers, thereby significantly enhancing the wettability of the nanofibers. This facilitated the uniform distribution of Pt nanoparticles without aggregate formation up to 40 wt% (about 0.8 mg/cm(2)) with a particle size of about 3 nm. The catalytic current of the hydrolyzed Pt electrode in CH(3)OH/H(2)SO(4) solution exceeded 213 mA/cm(2) Pt mg, which was considerably greater than the current was 148 mA/cm(2) Pt mg for an unhydrolyzed electrode.