One-pot aqueous fabrication of reduced graphene oxide supported porous PtAg alloy nanoflowers to greatly boost catalytic performances for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution.

Herein, reduced graphene oxide supported porous PtAg alloy nanoflowers (PtAg NFs/rGO) were synthesized by a simple one-pot aqueous method using pyridinium-based dicationic ionic liquid (1,4-bis(pyridinium)butane dibromide, Bpb-2Br) as the new structure-director and stabilizing agent. The products were characterized by a series of techniques. The obtained nanocomposite had more positive onset potential (1.03 V) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolyte than those of commercial Pt/C (50 wt%, 0.96 V) and home-made Pt nanoparticles (NPs)/rGO (Pt NPs/rGO, 0.97 V), showing the enhanced catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with the positive onset potential (-26 mV) and a small Tafel slope (31 mV dec-1) relative to Pt/C (-18 mV, 31 mV dec-1) and Pt NPs/rGO (-42 mV, 36 mV dec-1) in 0.5 M H2SO4.