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The electrochemical properties of boron-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (BOMC) as an electrode material and Pt catalyst support were investigated. The BOMC was synthesized and its structure was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). More defective sites were introduced into OMC by the doping of boron. Six electroactive compounds were employed to investigate their electrochemical responses on BOMC and OMC modified glassy carbon electrodes. The BOMC, with more defective sites, exhibited high activity toward the electroactive compounds. The property of BOMC of supporting platinum nanoparticle catalyst was examined. Pt nanoparticles were loaded onto BOMC and OMC, and this was confirmed by TEM, XPS and thermogravimetric analysis. Pt nanoparticles with an average diameter of 2.62 nm were deposited on BOMC. The doping of boron into OMC facilitates the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. Pt nanoparticles supported on BOMC (Pt-BOMC) and Pt nanoparticles supported on OMC (Pt-OMC) were electrochemically characterized. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt-BOMC toward methanol oxidation reaction was compared with that of Pt-OMC and commercial Pt-C catalyst. The results show that the electrocatalytic activity of BOMC is significantly higher than that of other used catalysts., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of highly dispersed bimetallic PtPd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) have been synthesized with the assistance of ionic liquid (IL: [VEIM]BF4). Different ratios of (PtCl6)(2-) and (PdCl4)(2-) ions were firstly attached to IL functionalized graphene oxide (GO) sheets in ethylene glycol (EG), and then the encased metal ions and graphene oxide sheets were reduced simultaneously by EG with the assistance of microwave. The characterization results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrate that PtPd alloy NPs with small particle sizes are uniformly dispersed on RGO. Electrochemical measurements reveal that PtPd-IL-RGO modified electrode can directly catalyze glucose oxidation and display enhanced current response compared with PtPd-RGO (such as: a response time within 3s, a linear range from 0.1 to 22 mM at 0 V, good reproducibility, considerable stability, and excellent anti-interference to electroactive molecules and Cl(-)). The superior catalytic activity and selectivity make PtPd-IL-RGO nanomaterials very promising for applications in direct detection of glucose., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two-dimensional ordered mesoporous carbon nitride (OMCN) has been successfully prepared for the first time using SBA-15 mesoporous silica and melamine as template and precursor respectively, by a nano hard-templating approach. A series of OMCN-x samples with different pyrolysis temperatures have been reported. The formation of these composite materials was verified by detailed characterization (e.g., Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy). The results showed that the materials were structurally well ordered with two-dimensional porous structure, high surface area and large pore volume. The influence of BET surface area and different amounts of N-bonding configurations formed at different pyrolysis temperatures of OMCN-x for the electrocatalysis towards hydrogen peroxide, nitrobenzene, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide were investigated in detail. Results indicated that OMCN treated at 800°C with largest BET surface area and highest amounts of pyrindinic N showed improved electrocatalytic activity for H2O2, nitrobenzene, and NADH in neutral solution., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Polydopamine (PDA)-coated ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) are easily prepared through one-step self-polymerization of dopamine on OMCs matrix at room temperature. Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are deposited on OMCs-PDA via a simple chemical reduction. The PDA layer helps to improve the water-solubility and dispersibility of OMCs, and plays a key role in the deposition of uniform and well-distributed Pt NPs. Transmission electron microscopy images reveal that the ultra-fine Pt NPs with an average size of ~1.8 nm are well-dispersed on the surface of OMCs-PDA. The electrocatalytic behavior of OMCs-PDA/Pt modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode is investigated by cyclic voltammetry and current-time methods using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydrazine (N2H4) as redox probes. Results show that OMCs-PDA/Pt exhibits improved electrocatalytic activity towards H2O2 reduction and N2H4 oxidation compared with OMCs/Pt. The linear electro-redox responses are found for H2O2 and N2H4 in the range of 2-14324 μM and 1-229 μM with the detection limit (S/N=3) of 0.85 μM and 0.51 μM, respectively. In addition, this new nanocomposite modified electrode exhibits high sensitivity, good anti-interference ability, excellent reproducibility and long-term stability., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)