Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel inside Melamine Sponge as an Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

• Published in: Materials Vol. 14; no. 2; p. 322
• Main Authors: Manzhos, Roman A, Baskakov, Sergey A, Kabachkov, Evgeny N, Korepanov, Vitaly I, Dremova, Nadezhda N, Baskakova, Yulia V, Krivenko, Alexander G, Shulga, Yury M, Gutsev, Gennady L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 09.01.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Aerogels; composite material; Composite materials; Electrical resistivity; Electrocatalysts; Electrodes; Graphene; Hydrazines; linear sweep voltammetry; lyophilization; Mechanical properties; Melamine; melamine sponge; Nitrogen; oxygen reduction reaction; Oxygen reduction reactions; Photoelectrons; Raman spectra; Raman spectroscopy; reduced graphene oxide aerogel; Software; Spectrum analysis; Voltammetry; Japan; Germany; reduced graphene oxide aerogel; lyophilization; composite material; oxygen reduction reaction; linear sweep voltammetry; melamine sponge
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma14020322

A graphene oxide aerogel (GOA) was formed inside a melamine sponge (MS) framework. After reduction with hydrazine at 60 °C, the electrical conductive nitrogen-enriched rGOA-MS composite material with a specific density of 20.1 mg/cm was used to fabricate an electrode, which proved to be a promising electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. The rGOA-MS composite material was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that nitrogen in the material is presented by different types with the maximum concentration of pyrrole-like nitrogen. By using Raman scattering it was established that the rGOA component of the material is graphene-like carbon with an average size of the sp -domains of 5.7 nm. This explains a quite high conductivity of the composite obtained.