Herein, we investigated the effects of polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPY) in their native and co-assembled forms as a thin layer on Pt nanoparticle-decorated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pt/MWCNTs) toward the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The co-assembled conducting PANI-PPY deposited Pt/MWCNTs was successfully synthesized and demonstrated significant enhancement of the electro-catalytic activity and stability toward EOR as revealed by electrochemical characterizations. The presented results indicate that in the co-assembled form, PANI and PPY retained their own superior effects on the enhancement of stability and catalytic activity via intermediate species removal and ethanol adsorption, respectively. This preliminary result reveals a new strategy for the use of conducting polymers as potential catalyst supports due to its facile fabrication and functionalization, cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness in comparison to alloys and metal oxides, factors which are necessary for the practical application of direct ethanol fuel cells in the near future.
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