Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide Effect on Improved Hydrogen Evolution onto Pt Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

In this work, a novel, cost-effective and simple catalyst based on platinum supported onto glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a cationic surfactant is reported. At first, amphiphilic molecules of CTAB are adsorbed onto GCE by immersing the electrode in CTAB solutions. The hydrophilic layer with positive charge is used for accumulation and complexation of hexachloroplatinate anions by immersing the electrode in K2PtCl6 solution. The modified electrodes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. Electrocatalytic activity of Pt particles towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been investigated. The results show that CTAB significantly enhances the catalytic efficiency of Pt particles on the HER in an aqueous acidic solution