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Published on: October 5, 2019
Bioreduction of Precious Metals by Microorganism: Efficient Gold@N-Doped Carbon Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen
Weijia Zhou1,2, Tanli Xiong3, Chaohong Shi3
1School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China. eszhouwj@scut.edu.cn.
Abstract:
The uptake of precious metals from electronic waste is of environmental significance and potential commercial value. A facile bioreductive synthesis is described for Au nanoparticles (ca. 20 nm) supported on N-doped carbon (Au@NC), which was derived from Au/Pycnoporus sanguineus cells. The interface and charge transport between Au and N-doped carbon were confirmed by HRTEM and XPS. Au@NC was employed as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), exhibiting a small onset potential of -54.1 mV (vs. RHE), a Tafel slope of 76.8 mV dec(-1) , as well as robust stability in acidic medium. Au@NC is a multifunctional electrocatalyst, which demonstrates high catalytic activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), as evidenced by an onset potential of +0.97 V, excellent tolerance toward methanol, and long-term stability. This work exemplifies dual recovery of precious Au and fabrication of multifunctional electrocatalysts in an environmentally benign and application-oriented manner.
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