Patent ID: 8518608

Claim:
A process for preparing a supported electrocatalyst, comprising: treating a sample of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution to remove impurities from the carbon nanotubes, and thereafter treating the multiwalled carbon nanotubes with a solution comprising nitric acid and sulfuric acid, thereby providing oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes, mixing the oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes with a mixture comprising polyaniline and a Fe species, and thereafter vacuum-drying the mixture comprising multiwalled carbon nanotubes, polyaniline, and a Fe species to form a vacuum-dried mixture, and thereafter subjecting the vacuum-dried mixture to ball-milling for 24 hours, and thereafter heating the ball-milled mixture at a first temperature in an inert atmosphere, and thereafter cooling the ball milled mixture, and thereafter treating the cooled, ball milled mixture with aqueous sulfuric acid, and thereafter, heat-treating the mixture at a second temperature in an inert atmosphere, thereby forming the supported electrocatalyst.