Graphene based nanomaterials are highly important because of their unique properties such as high contact surface area, high electrical conductivity and their enormous stability. Graphene and related materials have been used as promising catalyst supports in energy conversion and storage applications. In our research, in order to produce more efficient catalyst supports, we successfully modified graphene with various active functional groups such as amine, thiophene, fluorosilane, and RGD peptide by mono and multi-functionalization of graphene oxide. Further, modified polyol process was used to obtain specifically guided growth of Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles on these modified graphene surfaces. Consequently, better dispersion of Pt nanoparticles were obtained with delicate control-ability. As a result, the electrocatalytic activity (ECSA and ORR) was greatly enhanced. These promising nanomaterials can serve as potential candidates for high performance polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous, highly crystalline materials consisting of metal nodes connected by organic linkers. Due to the simplicity of manipulating or substituting the metal centers and ligands, there are limitless number of possible combinations, which is attractive from a design standpoint. MOFs exhibit many unique properties due to their tunable pore sizes, thermal stability, high volume capacities, large surface areas, and desirable electrochemical characteristics. Our aim is to prepare well dispersed and ordered metal nanoparticles (Ni, Co or Mn) on graphene. For that purpose we have been synthesizing graphene supported MOFs first and then by annealing (to remove organic parts) we will achieve desired catalyst layer. It is also possible to obtain bimetallic nanoparticles starting from two diffent MOFs.