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Anodes for Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells Assisted by Plasmon-Accelerated Electrochemical Oxidation Using Gold Nanoparticle-Decorated Buckypapers

2020; American Chemical Society; Volume: 3; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/acsaem.0c01293

2574-0962

Enrique Contreras, Christian Palacios, Brandon Huerta, Seungbae Ahn, Oscar Vázquez-Mena, Rubén D. Cadena‐Nava, G. Alonso‐Núñez, O. Contreras, Mercedes Teresita Oropeza-Guzmán, J. M. Romo-Herrera,

Electrochemical sensors and biosensors

The seeking of alternative energy options is imperative in current times. Direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) are attractive alternative energy conversion devices where the alcohol oxidation reaction (AOR) is an essential piece. Recently, the combination of plasmonics and electrochemistry at the nanoscale is emerging to accelerate electrochemical reactions by the presence of plasmonic nanoparticles. Herein, the assembly of buckypapers using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) results into a manageable material with good activity for the electro-oxidation of alcohols. The AOR is explored as a fuel-cell-relevant reaction by voltammetry, revealing an important photoincrement when illuminated by light. This photoincrement is correlated with the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation of the Au nanoparticles. The mechanism of the photoincrement is discussed considering both the photothermal effect or the photogeneration of hot-holes from the LSPR excitation. The obtained AuNP-decorated buckypapers, as a macroscopic manageable material, with photoincrement for the AOR represent a very attractive material for scaling up 3D electrodes for potential applications in DAFCs.