A Vanadium(V) Oxide Nanorod Promoted Platinum/Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrocatalyst for Alcohol Oxidation under Acidic Conditions

Abstract A Pt‐V 2 O 5 /rGO ternary hybrid electrocatalyst was designed by using active vanadium(V) oxide (V 2 O 5 ) nanorods and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) components. The V 2 O 5 nanorods were synthesized by a simple polyol‐assisted solvothermal method and were incorporated uniformly onto rGO sheets by intermittent microwave heating. Subsequently, Pt nanoparticles (2–3 nm in size) were deposited over the V 2 O 5 /rGO composite by the conventional polyol reflux method. The electrocatalytic performance of the Pt‐V 2 O 5 /rGO ternary hybrid and bare Pt/rGO catalysts towards the oxidation of simple alcohols was evaluated in acidic media. The ternary hybrid catalyst exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity than bare Pt/rGO and also showed good stability. The higher electrocatalytic activity of the Pt‐V 2 O 5 /rGO ternary hybrid was attributed to a synergistic effect among the Pt, V 2 O 5 , and rGO components. In addition, oxygen‐containing species, such as OH groups, were generated on V 2 O 5 at lower potentials. These groups were able to scavenge intermediate species such as CO ads on the Pt surfaces and helped to regenerate the active sites on the Pt surface more effectively for the routine alcohol oxidation reaction.