Ordered mesoporous carbons-supported gold nanoparticles as highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Unlike bulk gold, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been found to exhibit apparent electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this work, glutathione-capped AuNPs of ca. 4 nm in diameter were prepared by a wet chemical method and embedded into a mesoporous carbon matrix synthesized by using an SBA-15 amorphous silica template. Pyrolysis at elevated temperatures led to removal of the organic capping ligands and the formation of ordered mesoporous carbons loaded with a selected amount of AuNPs which exhibited no apparent agglomeration. The obtained nanocomposites exhibited apparent ORR activity in alkaline media, and the sample with 20 wt% AuNPs stood out as the best among the series, within the context of onset potential, kinetic current density and stability, in comparison with AuNPs alone, ordered mesoporous carbons, and commercial Pt/C catalysts. The remarkable performance was ascribed to the intimate interactions between the AuNPs and mesoporous carbons that facilitated fast electron transfer and rapid mass transport. This is the first time that ordered mesoporous carbons were employed to support AuNPs as ORR catalysts. The strategy may be exploited to prepare a wide range of electrocatalysts based on mesoporous carbons-supported metal nanoparticles with extraordinary reactivity and enhanced stability for ORR.