快速微波法制备掺氮石墨烯用于碱性氧还原电催化剂

采用微波法在氨气气氛下快速加热石墨烯（G）制备了含氮量在4.05 wt%-5.47 wt%的掺氮石墨烯（NG）. 将上述的掺氮石墨烯用作碱性电解质条件下的氧还原电催化剂,起始还原电势为0.17 V（vs SHE）,接近商用碳载铂催化剂的0.21 V（vs SHE）. 采用透射电子显微镜、拉曼光谱和X射线光电子能谱研究了掺氮石墨烯的形貌、结构和掺杂氮原子的键合方式. 结果发现,掺氮石墨烯的氧还原起始电位随着石墨氮原子含量的提高而上升,说明石墨类型的氮含量是影响其氧还原催化活性的关键因素. 实验结果表明,微波法快速制备的掺氮石墨烯在碱性条件下表现出较高的氧还原催化活性,具有作为碱性燃料电池阴极催化剂的潜力.     

氮掺杂石墨烯的制备及氧还原电催化性能

采用两步热解法, 用尿素掺杂氧化石墨烯(GO)得到N掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯(N-RGO), 通过控制反应温度, 制备了具有不同电催化活性的N掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯. 透射电子显微镜(TEM)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)结果显示, 制得的氮掺杂石墨烯(nG)表面褶皱和重叠增加. X射线光电子能谱(XPS)证明, 氮元素以吡啶N、 吡咯N和石墨化的N 3种形式掺杂在石墨烯中, 最高摩尔分数为6.6%. 通过循环伏安(CV)和旋转圆盘电极(RDE)测试了nG的电化学性能, 结果表明, 在酸性电解质中对氧还原(ORR)有较高的催化活性, 起始电位在0.1 V左右, 电催化还原氧气时主要为四电子反应, 且相对商用的Pt/C催化剂有更好的电化学稳定性, 其中第一步热解温度为200℃制得的nG催化性能最好.     

碱性介质中Fe/N/C催化剂的氧气还原反应催化性能研究

以氧化石墨烯(GO)为碳载体, K₃Fe(CN)₆同时作为N源和Fe源, 经热处理后构建了新型Fe/N/C结构的氧气还原催化剂. 在热处理过程中, 氧化石墨烯上的官能团分解脱离形成活性中心, Fe元素和N元素的同时掺杂是通过氧化石墨烯与K₃Fe(CN)₆之间的相互作用而实现的. 通过傅立叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表征证明了这种非贵金属催化剂中N元素和Fe元素的成功掺杂, 在催化剂中N元素主要是以吡啶式氮、吡咯式氮和石墨式氮的形式存在, Fe(Ⅱ)和Fe(Ⅲ)则与其中的吡啶式氮配位形成Fe-N_x结构. 采用循环伏安法(CV)和旋转圆盘电极(RDE)技术, 研究其在碱性介质中对氧气还原反应(ORR)的电催化性能. 实验结果显示: Fe/N/C催化剂具有良好的ORR电催化活性, 在碱性溶液中的起始电位为-0.15 V, 同时有着良好的稳定性和抗甲醇性能.     

氮掺杂石墨烯的制备及其对氧还原反应的电催化性能

以氧化石墨烯(GO)为原料、丙酮肟(DMKO)为还原剂和氮掺杂剂,采用化学还原法制备了不同氮掺杂含量的石墨烯(NG).利用场发射透射电子显微镜(FETEM)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、zeta电位和纳米粒度分析、循环伏安(CV)和旋转圆盘电极(RDE)等手段对材料的形貌、结构、成分和电化学性质进行表征.结果显示:DMKO能有效地还原GO,且通过调节GO与DMKO的质量比,可以得到不同还原效果的NG,其氮含量范围为4.40%-5.89%(原子分数);GO与DMKO的质量比为1:0.7时制备的氮掺杂石墨烯(NG-1)在O2饱和0.1 mol·L-1KOH溶液中对氧还原反应(ORR)的电催化性能最佳,其ORR峰电流为0.93 mA·cm-2,电子转移数为3.6,这归因于其较高含量的吡啶-N增加了材料的ORR活性位点.此外,石墨化-N由于其较高的电子导电性倾向于产生较高的氧还原峰电流,而吡啶-N较低的超电势倾向于产生较正的氧还原峰电位.与商用Pt/C相比,该材料展现出了优异的抗CH3OH"跨界效应"的特性.     

石墨烯负载Fe-N/C复合型氧还原催化剂

采用浸渍法,以聚吡咯为配体,在合成过程中掺入氧化石墨烯,制备了具有三明治结构的NG/Fe-N/C复合型催化剂,通过石墨烯和Fe-N/C之间的协同效应,提高了复合型催化剂的氧还原活性和耐久性能.采用XRD,SEM,TEM和XPS等方法对催化剂的化学成分、物理结构和形貌进行了表征.结果表明,当氧化石墨烯的掺入质量分数为25%,热处理温度为800℃时,催化剂具有最佳氧还原活性.循环伏安加速测试表明,NG/Fe-N/C-25催化剂稳定性优于商业20%Pt/C催化剂.NG/Fe-N/C-25催化剂的氮含量为5.17%,其中,石墨氮和吡啶氮的含量分别占44.35%和32.66%,较高的石墨氮和吡啶氮含量使催化剂具有优良的氧还原反应(ORR)催化活性和稳定性.     

CoPy/C催化氧还原的碱效应及活性位研究

以碳黑(Vulcan XC-72R)为载体, 硫酸钴(CoSO₄ · 7H₂O)和吡啶(Py)作为催化剂前躯体, 经溶剂分散及800℃热处理可制备出高效催化氧还原反应(ORR)的碳载钴吡啶复合催化剂(15%Co25%Py/C, 质量分数). 采用红外光谱(IR)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等对催化剂的结构进行表征. 运用旋转圆盘电极(RDE)技术研究了不同浓度的KOH溶液(0.05~12.0 mol/L)对CoPy/C催化氧还原活性的影响. 结果表明, 不同浓度的KOH溶液对CoPy/C催化剂催化氧还原反应(ORR)的性能影响很大, 在0.05和0.1 mol/L KOH溶液中催化剂活性最高. 以其制备的气体扩散电极在0.05 mol/L KOH溶液(O₂气氛)中的半波电位为-0.138 V, 起峰电位为0.10 V, 同时表现出明显的极限扩散电流. 在-0.381 V时电流密度达到最大值(4.39 mA/cm²). 随着KOH溶液浓度的增加(pH值下降), 起始电压沿负方向移动, 同时动力学、 混合动力学和扩散区的电流密度均下降. RDE研究结果表明, 在0.05和0.1 mol/L KOH溶液中, O₂在CoPy/C电极上的还原主要经4e^-过程还原成H₂O. XPS研究结果表明, 吡啶作为小分子富氮源对提高催化剂的活性具有重要作用, 所制备催化剂经800℃高温热处理形成了石墨N, 吡啶N以及部分氧化态的氮结构, 其中石墨N和吡啶N作为催化剂的活性中心, 提供氧还原活性位, 从而使该类催化剂对氧还原表现出很好的电催化性能和选择性.     

氮掺杂石墨烯的制备及其对氧还原反应的电催化性能

以氧化石墨烯（GO）为原料、丙酮肟（DMKO）为还原剂和氮掺杂剂,采用化学还原法制备了不同氮掺杂含量的石墨烯（NG）. 利用场发射透射电子显微镜（FETEM）、紫外-可见（UV-Vis）光谱、傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、zeta 电位和纳米粒度分析、循环伏安（CV）和旋转圆盘电极（RDE）等手段对材料的形貌、结构、成分和电化学性质进行表征. 结果显示：DMKO能有效地还原GO,且通过调节GO与DMKO的质量比,可以得到不同还原效果的NG,其氮含量范围为4.40%-5.89%（原子分数）;GO与DMKO的质量比为1：0.7时制备的氮掺杂石墨烯（NG-1）在O₂饱和0.1 mol·L^-1 KOH溶液中对氧还原反应（ORR）的电催化性能最佳,其ORR峰电流为0.93 mA·cm^-2,电子转移数为3.6,这归因于其较高含量的吡啶-N增加了材料的ORR活性位点. 此外,石墨化-N由于其较高的电子导电性倾向于产生较高的氧还原峰电流,而吡啶-N较低的超电势倾向于产生较正的氧还原峰电位. 与商用Pt/C相比,该材料展现出了优异的抗CH₃OH“跨界效应”的特性.     

铁氮掺杂对石墨烯担载铂催化剂氧还原反应活性的影响

高氧还原活性担载铂催化剂的研发是加快质子交换膜燃料电池商业化进程的主要手段之一。以石墨烯为碳源,1,10-菲啰啉为氮源,FeCl3为铁源,用浸渍法制备铁氮掺杂石墨烯(Fe/N-G)载体,并通过乙二醇还原法获得PtFe/N-G催化剂,探究铁氮原子的引入对石墨烯担载铂催化剂氧还原反应催化活性的影响。采用X射线衍射、比表面积和孔径分布测试、X射线光电子能谱等表征手段对载体及催化剂结构进行表征,使用电化学方法对载体和催化剂的氧还原反应活性进行测试。结果表明,PtFe/N-G催化剂的氧还原反应起始电位及半波电位分别为0.96 V、0.83 V,优于相同Pt担载量的商业20%Pt/C催化剂。铁氮掺杂后,石墨烯载体具有较大的孔径更有利于氧还原反应过程中生成物与反应物的传递,PtFe/N-G催化剂中存在吡啶氮和Fe-N型氮与铂纳米颗粒的协同催化,以及铂纳米颗粒与铁氮掺杂石墨烯载体间的相互作用,是PtFe/N-G催化剂具有优异的氧还原催化活性的可能原因。     

氮掺杂的碳材料中石墨化氮和吡啶氮对氧还原反应的催化特性

目前,开发高效的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)电催化剂是实现燃料电池和金属-空气电池商业化发展急需完成的目标。在过去的几十年中,人们在探索廉价高效的 ORR电催化剂(如 N掺杂的非金属及非铂电催化剂)领域做了广泛的研究。在 N掺杂的碳基 ORR催化剂中,已知的 N基活性位点主要分为四类,即吡啶类氮(P-N)、吡咯类氮(Py-N)、石墨化氮(G-N)和氧化类氮(O-N)。尽管人们对这四种类型氮的活性位点做了大量的研究,但是它们在催化反应中起到的 ORR催化作用以及催化机理和活性位点本身结构的关系仍不够明确。早期的研究中有人认为 P-N或者 Py-N是 ORR催化活性位点,也有人认为是 G-N起作用。最近也有研究表明, P-N和 G-N都是 ORR催化活性位点,只是在 ORR中所起的催化能力不同。因此,很有必要认清这些问题。
　　本文通过 Hummer法酸性氧化一次和两次碳黑 Vulcan XC-72(VXC-72)以及随后高温热处理,制备了一系列 ORR催化剂 VXCO-1, VXCO-2, VXCO-1(900)和 VXCO-2(900),采用场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM), N2吸附脱附法,元素分析仪(EA), X射线光电子能谱(XPS),拉曼光谱仪(Raman), X射线衍射能谱(XRD),电化学循环伏安法和线性伏安法测试等手段研究 Hummers法酸氧化和高温热处理对 VXC-72形貌组成的影响,以及这些碳基中成分和其催化 ORR能力的关系。
　　 SEM结果表明, Hummer法酸性氧化处理 VXC-72一次和两次后可以逐层剥落其最外边的碳层结构,最终得到表面光滑的类片层状结构的碳材料(VXCO-1和 VXCO-2)。这种表面光滑的类片层状结构的碳材料比表面积大于处理前的 VXC-72,而高温热处理之后的碳材料(VXCO-1(900)和 VXCO-2(900))由于类石墨层碎片结构蒸发损失暴露出更多内部的微孔和介孔结构使比表面积增加。 Raman和 XRD结果表明,氧化处理使碳材料的石墨化程度增加,而高温热处理则降低了其石墨化程度。
　　 EA和 XPS结果表明, Hummer法酸性氧化处理可以使在碳材料中掺入的 N以石墨化的为主,高温热处理却使得石墨化氮转变为吡啶类的氮。 ORR结果发现,活性的石墨化氮倾向于使 ORR反应经历两电子过程,从而生成 H2O2为主要产物;而吡啶类氮的活性位点更倾向于使 ORR反应经过四电子过程,主产物是水。该结果有助于新型碳基氧还原催化剂的设计和分析。     

Cu-bipy-BTC衍生碳基材料的制备及其氧还原电催化性能

制备高效、廉价的氧还原(ORR)电催化剂是燃料电池的技术关键. 本文采用水热法制备出前驱体金属有机骨架化合物（MOF：Cu-bipy-BTC,bipy=2,2′-联吡啶,BTC=均苯三甲酸）后,再高温煅烧得到碳基材料MOF-800. 采用扫描电镜、X射线衍射、红外光谱、氮气吸附/脱附等温线和X射线光电子谱表征了材料的形貌和结构特征;采用线性扫描伏安曲线、i-t曲线等考察了材料的氧还原催化性能. 结果表明,与前驱体Cu-bipy-BTC相比,MOF-800含有大量的微孔(0.5 ~ 1.3 nm),为铜、氮掺杂多孔碳. MOF-800的电荷转移阻抗为10.6 Ω,比Cu-bipy-BTC降低了97.2%,具有优良的导电性. MOF-800具有优异的ORR催化性能,其起始电位约为-0.04 V(vs. Ag/AgCl),其电子转移数接近4. 铜、氮掺杂的多孔碳结构导电性好,高含量的吡啶氮、吡咯氮和石墨氮提供了大量催化活性位点(C-N, Cu-N_x),是MOF-800具有高氧还原电催化性能的主要原因. 本研究可为煅烧Cu-bipy-BTC制备碳基材料用于燃料电池修饰阴极提供技术支撑与理论依据.     

Electrochemically exfoliating graphite into N-doped graphene and its use as a high efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

N-doped graphene has been extensively explored because of their intriguing properties. However, most of the conventional heat-processed N-doped graphene (HNG) suffer from the poor hydrophilic property and low electric conductivity when using electrode materials. Herein, we present a facile solution-processed strategy to fabricate N-doped graphene through electrochemical exfoliation of graphite in inorganic electrolyte solution. The resulting electrochemically exfoliated N-doped graphene (ENG) has high level of nitrogen (7.9 at.%) and oxygen (16.5 at.%), moreover, excellent electric conductivity (19 s cm^?1). As a binder-free electrode material for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), ENG exhibits much better electroactivity than HNG and electrochemically exfoliated graphene (EG), moreover, much better methanol tolerance and long-term durability than that commercial Pt/C catalyst. The results provide new sights into scalable production of noble metal-free catalyst towards ORR.     

Electrochemical and oxygen reduction properties of pristine and nitrogen-doped few layered graphene nanoflakes (FLGs)

Vertically aligned few layered graphene (FLGs) nanoflakes were synthesized by microwave plasma deposition for various time durations ranging from 30 to 600 s to yield graphene films of varying morphology, microstructure and areal/edge density. Their intrinsic electrochemical properties were explored using Fe(CN)₆ ^3?/4? and Ru(NH₃)₆ ^3+/2+ redox species. All the FLG electrodes demonstrate fast electron transfer kinetics with near ideal ΔEp values of 60–65 mV. Using a relationship between electron transfer rate and edge plane density, an estimation of the edge plane density was carried out which revealed a moderation of edge plane density with increase in growth time. The pristine FLGs also possess excellent electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solutions. This ORR activity can be further enhanced by exposing the pristine FLGs to nitrogen electron cyclotron resonance plasma. The metal free N-doped FLGs exhibit much higher electrocatalytic activity towards ORR than pristine FLGs with higher durability and selectivity than Pt-based catalysts. The excellent electrochemical performance of N-doped FLGs is explained in terms of enhanced edge plane exposure, high content of pyridinic nitrogen and an increase in the electronic density of states.     

Covalent hybrid of spinel manganese-cobalt oxide and graphene as advanced oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

Through direct nanoparticle nucleation and growth on nitrogen doped, reduced graphene oxide sheets and cation substitution of spinel Co(3)O(4) nanoparticles, a manganese-cobalt spinel MnCo(2)O(4)/graphene hybrid was developed as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline conditions. Electrochemical and X-ray near-edge structure (XANES) investigations revealed that the nucleation and growth method for forming inorganic-nanocarbon hybrids results in covalent coupling between spinel oxide nanoparticles and N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rmGO) sheets. Carbon K-edge and nitrogen K-edge XANES showed strongly perturbed C-O and C-N bonding in the N-rmGO sheet, suggesting the formation of C-O-metal and C-N-metal bonds between N-doped graphene oxide and spinel oxide nanoparticles. Co L-edge and Mn L-edge XANES suggested substitution of Co(3+) sites by Mn(3+), which increased the activity of the catalytic sites in the hybrid materials, further boosting the ORR activity compared with the pure cobalt oxide hybrid. The covalently bonded hybrid afforded much greater activity and durability than the physical mixture of nanoparticles and carbon materials including N-rmGO. At the same mass loading, the MnCo(2)O(4)/N-graphene hybrid can outperform Pt/C in ORR current density at medium overpotentials with stability superior to Pt/C in alkaline solutions.     

3D nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel-supported Fe3O4 nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Three-dimensional (3D) N-doped graphene aerogel (N-GA)-supported Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (Fe(3)O(4)/N-GAs) as efficient cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are reported. The graphene hybrids exhibit an interconnected macroporous framework of graphene sheets with uniform dispersion of Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (NPs). In studying the effects of the carbon support on the Fe(3)O(4) NPs for the ORR, we found that Fe(3)O(4)/N-GAs show a more positive onset potential, higher cathodic density, lower H(2)O(2) yield, and higher electron transfer number for the ORR in alkaline media than Fe(3)O(4) NPs supported on N-doped carbon black or N-doped graphene sheets, highlighting the importance of the 3D macropores and high specific surface area of the GA support for improving the ORR performance. Furthermore, Fe(3)O(4)/N-GAs show better durability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst.     

氮掺杂石墨烯的生长机理及其在乙苯选择性氧化中的应用

以热解氧化石墨烯材料为碳基底,分别使用有机氮源和无机氮源对其进行氮掺杂处理,制备了一系列氮掺杂石墨烯材料.采用透射电子显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、拉曼光谱和X射线光电子能谱等表征方法考察了氮掺杂石墨烯的生长机理.结果表明,随着制备过程中退火温度的改变,氮掺杂石墨烯中不同氮物种的含量有显著差别.这种差异是由不同氮物种化学环境的差异所导致的.所制备的含氮石墨烯材料对乙苯选择性氧化制苯乙酮反应均表现出优良的催化活性.其中,石墨氮的含量对于提高苯乙酮收率起到至关重要的作用.此外,通过氧化剂控制活化的方法可以消除过多的结构缺陷和过量氮掺杂对催化反应的不利影响,有效提升氮掺杂石墨烯的催化活性.     

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dual‐Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon Foams as Efficient Metal‐Free Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reactions

Despite tremendous progress in developing doped carbocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the ORR activity of current metal‐free carbocatalysts is still inferior to that of conventional Pt/C catalysts, especially in acidic media and neutral solution. Moreover, it also remains a challenge to develop an effective and scalable method for the synthesis of metal‐free carbocatalysts. Herein, we have developed nitrogen and phosphorus dual‐doped hierarchical porous carbon foams (HP‐NPCs) as efficient metal‐free electrocatalysts for ORR. The HP‐NPCs were prepared for the first time by copyrolyzing nitrogen‐ and phosphorus‐containing precursors and poly(vinyl alcohol)/polystyrene (PVA/PS) hydrogel composites as in situ templates. Remarkably, the resulting HP‐NPCs possess controllable nitrogen and phosphorus content, high surface area, and a hierarchical interconnected macro‐/mesoporous structure. In studying the effects of the HP‐NPCs on the ORR, we found that the as‐prepared HP‐NPC materials exhibited not only excellent catalytic activity for ORR in basic, neutral, and acidic media, but also much better tolerance for methanol oxidation and much higher stability than the commercial, state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalysts. Because of all these outstanding features, it is expected that the HP‐NPC material will be a very suitable catalyst for next‐generation fuel cells and lithium–air batteries. In addition, the novel synthetic method described here might be extended to the preparation of many other kinds of hierarchical porous carbon materials or porous carbon that contains metal oxide for wide applications including energy storage, catalysis, and electrocatalysis.     

Enhanced Oxygen Reduction on Graphene via Y\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}Si\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} Electride Substrate: a First-Principles Study

Manipulating the chemical reactivity of graphene toward oxygen reduced reduction (ORR) is of particular interest for both fundamental research and practical application in fuel cell. Deposing graphene on selected substrate provides a structure-intact strategy to enhance its chemical reactivity due to substrate-induced charge and interface effect. Here, we report the graphene deposited on one-dimensional electride Y\begin{document}$_5$\end{document}Si\begin{document}$_3$\end{document} as an effective ORR catalyst in acidic media. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that depositing graphene on electride materials can facilitate the protonation of O\begin{document}$_2$\end{document}, which is the rate-determining step based on the four-electron reaction pathway and thus promote the ORR activity. Further electronic calculations reveal that low work function (3.5 eV), superior electrical conductivity and slight charge transfer from substrate to graphene result in the enhanced ORR performance of graphene. These findings shed light on the rational design of ORR catalysts based on graphitic materials and emphasize the critical role of substrates for energy-related electrochemical reactions.     

3D Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel–Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

It is extremely desirable to explore high-efficient, affordable and robust oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable Zn–air batteries (ZABs). A 3D porous nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulated metallic Ni₃Fe alloy nanoparticles aerogel (Ni₃Fe-GA₁) was constructed through a facile hydrothermal assembly and calcination process. Benefiting from 3D porous configuration with great accessibility, high electrical conductivity, abundant active sites, optimal nitrogen content and strong electronic interactions at the Ni₃Fe/N-doped graphene heterointerface, the obtained aerogel showed outstanding catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Specifically, it exhibited an overpotential of 239 mV to attain 10 mA cm⁻² for OER, simultaneously providing a positive onset potential of 0.93 V within a half-wave potential of 0.8 V for ORR. Accordingly, when employed in the aqueous ZABs, Ni₃Fe-GA₁ achieved higher power density and superior reversibility than Pt/C−IrO₂ catalyst, making it a potential candidate for rechargeable ZABs.     

Doping effect of boron and phosphorus on nitrogen-based mesoporous carbons as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in acid media

Doped mesoporous carbons comprising nitrogen, boron, and phosphorus (N, B, and P, respectively) were prepared as non-Pt catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an acidic solution. The N-doped carbons were varied to increase their catalytic activity through by additionally doping of B and P. All the mesoporous carbons were synthesized by carbonizing polyaniline at 900 °C for the N species, while the B and P species were inserted into the carbon structure at the carbon growth step. The linear sweep voltammogram recorded in the acidic solution showed that the ORR activity of the N-doped carbon catalysts increased significantly after the addition of B. An approximately 19 % increase in the pyridinic N content at the carbon surface was observed, along with B-N-C moieties with a binding energy of 399.5 eV. The non-precious metal ORR catalysts were prepared via pyrolysis, with the insertion of an additional transition metal (iron, Fe). The deconvoluted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the Fe-N peak was generated after the pyrolysis. The peak intensity of the quaternary N also increased compared with the pyridic and pyrrolic N, which indicates that Fe serves to catalyze the modification of N species. The numerical examinations showed that N- and B-doped mesoporous carbon (NBC) 1.5 % Fe had the highest limited current (4.94 mA/cm²), with the B-doped carbon still the most active mesoporous carbon catalyst for ORR. As a result, it can be said that Fe positively contributes to the formation of graphitic N, which is known to be an active site for ORR. The cyclic voltammetry results showed that the peak area of the NBC 1.5 % Fe catalyst was larger than that of the N-doped mesoporous carbon (NC) 1.5 % Fe catalyst. It was concluded that B doping enhances the ORR activity and the stability of carbon materials even after 1000 cycles under acidic conditions.     

Simultaneous Photoreduction and Nitrogen Doping of Graphene Oxide for Supercapacitors by Direct Laser Writing

Graphene-based supercapacitors have attracted tremendous attention owing to their outstanding electrochemical performance. In terms of material, nitrogen(N)-doped graphene(NDG) displays enhanced specific capaci-tance and rate performance compared with bare graphene used as a supercapacitor electrode. However, it still remains a challenge to develop a facile and simple method of NDG in cost-effective manner. Here, we used a simple direct laser writing technique to accomplish the simultaneous photoreduction and N-doping of graphene oxide(GO) using urea as a N source. The N content of the resultant reduced N-doped graphene oxide(NGO) reached a maximum value of 6.37%. All reduced NGO(NRGO)-based supercapacitors exhibited a higher specific capacitance than those based on pure reduced GO(RGO). Interestingly, the electrochemical performance of NRGO-based supercapacitors varied with different contents ofN species. Therefore, we can control the properties of the obtained NRGOs by adjusting the doping ratios, an important step in developing effective graphene-based energy storage devices.