Oxidation stability of nanographite materials

Abstract

Nanographite materials (NGMs), e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphene, have attracted great attention owing to their unique electronic and structural properties which make them promising for applications in Li-ion batteries, [ 1 ] functional composites, [ 2 ] fuel cells, [ 3 ] supercapacitors, [ 4 ] nano-electromechanical systems [ 5 ] and photovoltaic devices. [ 6 ] However, when NGMs are used as supports of catalysts or active components in electrochemical devices (such as fuel cells), their oxidation and corrosion could lead to a severe degradation of the catalyst which eventually affects the whole performance of the electrochemical systems. Therefore, understanding the oxidation stability of NGMs is essential in order to develop new robust nanoscale devices.© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim.