Polyaniline-Graphitic Carbon Nitride Based Nano-Electrocatalyst for Fuel Cell Application: A Green Approach with Synergistic Enhanced Behaviour

In this work, a metal free polyaniline nanorod (PANI-NR) with graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanocomposite has been synthesized by solar irradiation approach an acidic medium without the assistance of any surfactant and template. As synthesized PANI-NR/GCN nanocomposite was characterized by morphology studies, which found that the average diameter of the PANI-NR was 500 to 600 nm and the length of the nanorod range from 3 to 3.5 mu m where GCN randomly dispersed on the surface of PANI-NR. The elemental composition, structural and vibrational spectra of PANI-NR/GCN are observed through EDX, Mapping, XRD, and FT-IR studies. Subsequently, the synthesized PANI-NR/GCN nanocomposite was used as an electrocatalyst, which was characterized through cyclic voltammetry, impedance, and chronoamperometric studies. The fabricated PANI-NR/GCN modified electrode shows significant electrocatalytic activity, lower charge resistance, high stability, and longevity towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in an alkaline medium.