Electrocatalytic Activity of Pt–Au/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Toward C1–C3 Alcohol Oxidation

The development of efficient and highly durable materials for renewable energy conversion devices is crucial for meeting the future demand for clean and sustainable energy. In this study, platinum‐gold nanoparticles (PtAu NPs) were synthesized using the chemical reduction method and decorated on a graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C ₃ N ₄ ) support material for use in alcohol oxidation studies. X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) was used to obtain information about the crystal structures of the synthesized nanostructures. According to the Debye Scherrer formula, the crystal size was obtained as approximately 6.05 nm. These nanocomposite structures, PtAu NPs and g‐C ₃ N ₄ ‐supported PtAu NPs, were drop‐cast onto glassy carbon electrodes and referred to as PtAu/GCE and PtAu@g‐C ₃ N ₄ /GCE, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were utilized for electrochemical studies. The PtAu@g‐C ₃ N ₄ /GCE exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance, and the anodic peak currents of 21.13, 2.53, and 8.51 mA cm ⁻² were obtained for methanol, ethanol, and 2‐propanol as a result of electrochemical experiments, respectively. Also, in the long‐term test (500 Cycles), PtAu@g‐C ₃ N ₄ exhibits better stability than PtAu. Thus, the catalyst we developed can be used with high efficiency in a wide range of alcohol oxidation applications, as it exhibits successful electrocatalytic performance in C1‐, C2‐, and C3‐type alcohol oxidation applications.