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.     

The MOF/GO-based derivatives with Co@CoO core-shell structure supported on the N-doped graphene as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

The development of nonprecious catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for the commercialization of the alkaline fuel cells (AFCs). Herein, we prepared a kind of Co-based nanoparticles (NPs) with a core-shell (Co@CoO) structure supported on the N-doped graphene (Co@CoO/NG) as an efficient ORR catalyst via simply pyrolyzing the ZIF-67 anchored on the synthesized graphene oxide (GO). The catalytic activity for ORR of the obtained Co@CoO/NG is comparable with the state-of-art Pt/C catalyst in terms of the onset and half-wave potential in the alkaline solution. In addition, the Co@CoO/NG exhibited an excellent ORR durability and antimethanol activity compared to the commercial Pt/C. This research would provide a simple strategy to prepare the high-performance nonprecious metal-based catalysts for AFCs.     

In-Situ Electrodeposition of Rhodium nanoparticles Anchored on Reduced Graphene Oxide nanosheets as an Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalyst

A simple, versatile, and cost-effective one-pot electrochemical deposition is used to fabricate rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles decorated surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) functionalized glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The chemical and physical structure of the sample is probed via transmission electron microscopy, rotating disk electrode (RDE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, and Raman spectroscopy. The synergistic effects between the unique properties of Rh nanoparticles and rGO creates such innovative hybrid that exhibits a catalytic activity comparable to that of the commercial platinum electrocatalyst (Pt/C). As a result, the as-electrodeposited Rh@rGO hybrid exhibits outstanding ORR activity in alkaline media, as evidenced by a larger diffusion-limited current, greater positive onset potential, much better stability and methanol tolerance than Pt/C under the same conditions.     

Co3O4/聚吡咯/石墨烯碱性溶液中电化学还原氧

燃料电池具有较高的能量密度和发电效率,以清洁能源为原料,零污染排放,是一种具有发展前景的能量储存和转化装置.阴极氧还原反应(ORR)在燃料电池中起着关键作用.ORR广泛采用贵金属铂基催化剂,但是它们价格昂贵,电子动力学转移速率慢,碱性条件下易团聚,这些亟需解决的问题阻碍了燃料电池商业化进程.近期,一些非贵金属催化剂被广泛研究,例如氮掺杂碳材料、Fe/N/C和Co/N/C材料等,它们有可能在未来替代铂基催化剂.我们的目标是合成新型高催化活性的Co/N/C及其衍生非贵金属材料,用于ORR催化反应.由于石墨烯具有独特的形貌、较大的比表面积和良好的导电性,其表面含有功能化的官能团,所以我们选择石墨烯作为碳载体.首先,用改性休克尔方法合成了氧化石墨烯(GO),为了提高其催化活性,采用聚吡咯作为氮源对其进行了氮掺杂,制备了聚吡咯/氧化石墨烯(Ppy/GO).通过ORR催化性能测试发现,GO对ORR具有一定的催化活性,它的起始电位和阴极电流电位分别为–0.31 V vs SCE和–0.38 V vs SCE;Ppy/GO的起始电位和阴极电流电位分别为–0.20 V vs SCE和–0.38 V vs SCE,氮掺杂对GO的催化活性有所提高.采用水热法沉积氧化钴合成了Co3O4/聚吡咯/氧化石墨烯(Co3O4/Ppy/GO).其形貌为Co3O4分散在氮掺杂GO表面.在KOH电解质(0.1 mol/L)中测试,Co3O4/Ppy/GO的起始电位和阴极电流电位分别为–0.20 V和–0.38 V vs SCE.经过800℃高温煅烧处理后,Co3O4/Ppy/GO-800的催化活性明显提高,起始电位和阴极电流电位分别达到–0.10 V和–0.18 V vs SCE.ORR电子转移数为3.4,接近于4电子反应途径.Co3O4/Ppy/GO对ORR的催化活性及4电子催化选择性较高,可能是由于纳米形态的Co3O4和Ppy/GO之间具有较强的表面作用力,聚吡咯掺杂的氧化石墨烯具有较强的电子储存及释放能力.综上,我们通过水热法制备了钴、氮共掺杂的GO,并研究了其对ORR的催化活性和电子转移选择性.结果表明Co3O4/Ppy/GO是一种高效的非贵金属电催化剂,在碱性电解质中具有很高的ORR催化活性,在燃料电池阴极催化剂方面很有前景.     

Investigation of the charge compensation mechanism on the electrochemically Li-ion deintercalated Li1-xCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 electrode system by combination of soft and hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy

In situ hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at metal K-edges and soft XAS at O K-edge and metal L-edges have been carried out during the first charging process for the layered Li1-xCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material. The metal K-edge XANES results show that the major charge compensation at the metal site during Li-ion deintercalation is achieved by the oxidation of Ni2+ ions, while the manganese ions and the cobalt ions remain mostly unchanged in the Mn4+ and Co3+ state. These conclusions are in good agreement with the results of the metal K-edge EXAFS data. Metal L-edge XAS results at different charge states in both the FY and PEY modes show that, unlike Mn and Co ions, Ni ions at the surface are oxidized to Ni3+ during charge, whereas Ni ions in the bulk are further oxidized to Ni4+ during charge. From the observation of O K-edge XAS results, we can conclude that a large portion of the charge compensation during Li-ion deintercalation is achieved in the oxygen site. By comparison to our earlier results on the Li1-xNi0.5Mn0.5O2 system, we attribute the active participation of oxygen in the redox process in Li1-xCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 to be related to the presence of Co in this system.     

Co/N-doped carbon nanotube arrays grown on 2D MOFs-derived matrix for boosting the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline and acidic media

The development of high-performance and cost-effective electrocatalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is of significant importance,but still challenging for the practical applications in related energy systems.ORR process typically suffers from sluggish kinetics,the exploration of ORR electrocatalyst thus requires elaborate design.Herein,an effective strategy is developed for growing Co/N-doped carbon nanotube arrays on 2D MOFs-derived matrix via the pyrolysis of Co/Zn metalorganic-framework(MOF) nanosheets.The Co/Zn-MOF nanosheets serve as both the self-template for the 2D carbonized framework morphology and C/N source for the in-situ growth of 1D N-doped carbon nanotubes.The constructed hie rarchical architecture effectively integrates the OD/1D Co nanoparticle/Ndoped carbon nanotube interface and 1D(nanotubes)/2D(nanosheets) junction into frameworks with highly exposed active surface,enhanced mass-transport kinetics and electrical conductivity.As a result,the designed composite exhibits superior ORR activity and durability in alkaline media as compared to commercial Pt/C.Particularly,it shows promising ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.78 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and negligible activity attenuation after 5000 potential cycles in acidic electrolyte.The designed strategy can be extended to construct other MOFs-derived carbon matrixes with diverse hierarchical structures and provide an efficient avenue for searching highperformance electrocatalysts.     

“Metal‐Free” Catalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Heteroatom‐Doped Graphene is Caused by Trace Metal Impurities

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of high industrial importance. There is a large body of literature showing that metal‐based catalytic nanoparticles (e.g. Co, Mn, Fe or hybrid Mn/Co‐based nanoparticles) supported on graphene act as efficient catalysts for the ORR. A significant research effort is also directed to the so‐called “metal‐free” oxygen reduction reaction on heteroatom‐doped graphene surfaces. While such studies of the ORR on nonmetallic heteroatom‐doped graphene are advertised as “metal‐free” there is typically no sufficient effort to characterize the doped materials to verify that they are indeed free of any trace metal. Here we argue that the claimed “metal‐free” electrocatalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction on heteroatom‐doped graphene is caused by metallic impurities present within the graphene materials.     

石墨烯载Pt纳米粒子的原位还原制备及氧还原电催化性能

采用改进的化学氧化还原法(Hummers法)氧化鳞片石墨, 再超声振荡剥离得到氧化石墨烯(GO)水溶液. 通过聚二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵(PDDA)分子对GO表面功能化, 由于带正电荷的PDDA分子功能化的GO与带负电荷的^2-离子间的静电作用, 使Pt离子组装到GO表面, 再通过原位还原被束缚的Pt离子, 同时GO被还原成石墨烯片(GNs), 得Pt/PDDA-GNs催化剂. 相对空白GNs负载的Pt纳米粒子和商业化Pt/C(JM), Pt/PDDA-GNs催化剂有较高的氧还原活性和稳定性. 前者可归因于Pt颗粒尺寸细小和分散度较高, 后者是由于PDDA分子与Pt原子间的电子作用及对Pt颗粒的钉扎作用, 从而减缓了Pt的氧化和迁移.     

基于内嵌钴/氮掺杂多孔碳三维石墨烯笼的抗团聚高效氧还原电催化剂

氧还原反应是决定燃料电池、金属-空气电池等多种新型清洁能源存储与转化技术之性能与应用的关键反应. 铂及其合金是目前催化活性最好的氧还原反应催化剂,但其高昂的成本限制了规模化应用. 在小尺寸效应作用下,微纳米结构催化剂颗粒在电极制备与电化学反应过程中的团聚限制了催化剂本征催化活性的充分发挥. 本文基于喷雾热解技术,发展了一种基于内嵌钴/氮掺杂多孔碳三维石墨烯笼的高活性、抗团聚非贵金属氧还原反应催化剂. 此结构中,金属有机骨架化合物ZIF-67衍生的钴/氮掺杂多孔碳纳米结构是催化氧还原反应的活性中心,包覆其外的三维石墨烯笼不仅可在钴/氮掺杂碳纳米结构之间构建连续的三维载流子传导网络,且可高效抑制其在催化剂制备与电化学反应过程中的团聚与活性损失. 在碱性电解液中,此类非贵金属催化剂表现出可与铂基催化剂媲美的氧还原反应活性和优异的稳定性.     

Local structure of titania decorated double-walled carbon nanotube characterized by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy

Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy was demonstrated to deliver detailed local structure and chemical composition of a complicated system with titania nanoparticles dispersed inside and outside the double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) channels. Areas with inhomogeneous distribution of titania and the associated water were particularly investigated at the C K-edge, Ti L-edge, and O K-edge. The results show that titania nanoparticles located inside DWNTs are present as amorphous, while those unsuccessfully introduced into the channels behave more like bulk materials in forms of anatase and rutile. Strong interaction was detected between the confined titania and DWNTs, as evidenced by up to 0.6 eV energy shift at the Ti L-edge. Strong hydration was observed for the as-prepared samples. Functionalization due to reduction and oxidation between titania and carbon layer is observed upon heat-treatment. This detailed structural information of specific areas cannot be provided by other techniques such as HRTEM, XRD, and XANES.     

Use of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) to identify physisorption and chemisorption of phosphate onto ferrihydrite-modified diatomite

This paper presents a novel technique integrating bulk-sensitive and surface-sensitive XANES methods to distinguish between physisorption and chemisorption for phosphate adsorption onto ferrihydrite-modified diatomite (FHMD). XANES P K-edge, L-edge, and Fe M-edge spectra were obtained for reference samples (K(2)HPO(4) and FePO(4)·2H(2)O) and test samples (phosphate adsorbed onto FHMD (FHMD-Ps) and Si-containing ferrihydrite (FHYD-Ps)). A resolvable pre-edge peak in the P K-edge spectra of FHMD-Ps and FHYD-Ps provided direct evidence for the formation of P-O-Fe(III) coordination and the occurrence of chemisorption. The resemblance between the P L-edge spectra of K(2)HPO(4) and FHMD-Ps and the marked difference between the spectra of FHMD-Ps and FePO(4)·2H(2)O indicated the intact existence of the adsorbate and the adsorbent. The similarity between Fe M-edge spectra of FHMD and FHMD-Ps and the difference between the spectra of FHMD-Ps and FePO(4)·2H(2)O confirmed the findings from P L-edge analyses. Therefore, chemisorption and physisorption coexisted during phosphate adsorption onto FHMD. Phosphate chemisorption occurred in the deeper zone of FHMD (from 50 nm to 5 μm); whereas physisorption occurred in the zone of FHMD shallower than 50 nm since the probing depth of XANES P K-edge method is 5 μm and that of P L-edge and Fe M-edge methods is 50 nm.     

有机膦酸盐衍生的氮掺杂的磷酸钴/碳纳米管杂化材料作为高效氧还原电催化剂（英文）

随着环境污染和能源危机的日益严重,探索高效的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂来替代商业Pt/C迫在眉睫.其中,报道比较多的是具有钴基活性物种和氮掺杂碳的复合材料例如Co-Nx-C, Co3O4/GO, Co-N/CNT等,该复合材料具有高导电性、良好的稳定性和优异的催化活性.与其他钴基催化剂相比,磷酸钴由于其成本低廉,对环境友好,多功能的优良特性,已被广泛应用于催化、吸附、分离及储能等领域,在电催化方面也有极大的应用潜力.研究表明,磷酸基团不仅可以充当质子受体,也会诱导局部钴原子的几何结构发生扭曲,从而有利于水分子的吸附并促进析氧反应的发生.此外,磷酸钴也被证实具有一定的氧还原活性.尽管磷酸钴电催化剂的研究已经取得了一定进展,磷酸根有利于质子传输,但是其导电性很差,不利于电荷的转移和传输,使得其电催化活性不高.将磷酸钴和导电碳材料复合是解决问题的有效方法.而且,磷酸钴在碱性溶液中并不稳定,极大限制了其在电催化氧还原中的应用.金属有机膦酸盐是一类包含金属离子和有机膦酸配体的杂化材料,通过简单的焙烧便可以很容易地得到金属无机磷酸盐,并且在焙烧过程中氮掺杂的碳也会原位产生,并包覆在磷酸钴的表面,使得其导电性和催化活性大大提高.为此,本研究组制备了有机膦酸钴衍生的磷酸钴和氮磷掺杂的石墨烯的复合材料并用于电催化氧还原和析氧反应,所得到的材料导电性和稳定性良好,然而,该催化剂的表观活性与商业Pt/C相比仍有较大差距,且使用有机膦酸钴作为前驱体对活性的影响也不甚清楚.因此,本文采用含氮的有机膦酸配体乙二胺四亚甲基膦酸钠(EDTMPS)为磷源制备了氮掺杂的磷酸钴/碳纳米管杂化材料(CoPiC-N/CNT-3),其催化活性和稳定性良好,并进一步探讨了各种不同因素对电催化活性的影响.XRD和TEM结果表明,用这种方法得到的磷酸钴(CoPiC)为Co2P2O7物相,与磷酸二氢钠为磷源制备得到的CoPi相比,CoPiC的表面有石墨化碳层的存在, EDS图谱表明, Co, P, C, N均匀地掺杂到复合材料的骨架结构中.Raman光谱结果表明,石墨化碳层的存在和适量的碳纳米管的引入均可以增强复合材料的石墨化程度并提高了导电性,而氮掺杂导致其缺陷位点增多.XPS结果进一步表明,有机膦酸钴可以作为前驱体可制得氮掺杂的磷酸钴/碳纳米管杂化材料.电催化反应测试表明, CoPi C-N/CNT-3的氧还原活性与商业Pt/C相当,其遵循的是4电子的反应路径,而且抗甲醇氧化能力和稳定性均优于Pt/C.原因主要归结于以下几点:(1)磷酸钴颗粒与氧化碳纳米管的协同作用可以显著增强氧还原催化活性,引入的碳纳米管可以克服磷酸钴导电性差的缺陷;(2)磷酸钴在复合材料中分散均匀,使得可以充分利用催化剂的活性位点;(3)氮掺杂可以调变材料的电子结构,从而改善催化活性;(4)石墨化碳层的存在可以改善材料的电子导电性和稳定性,有利于电子转移并可以保护磷酸钴颗粒在催化氧还原反应过程中不被电解液腐蚀.可见,所制有机膦酸衍生的氮掺杂的磷酸钴/碳纳米管杂化材料有望替代Pt/C催化剂,并推动清洁可再生能源领域的相关研究.     

Stabilization of high-performance oxygen reduction reaction pt electrocatalyst supported on reduced graphene oxide/carbon black composite

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst supported by hybrid composite materials is prepared by well-mixing carbon black (CB) with Pt-loaded reduced graphene oxide (RGO). With the insertion of CB particles between RGO sheets, stacking of RGO can be effectively prevented, promoting diffusion of oxygen molecules through the RGO sheets and enhancing the ORR electrocatalytic activity. The accelerated durability test (ADT) demonstrates that the hybrid supporting material can dramatically enhance the durability of the catalyst and retain the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) of Pt: the final ECSA of the Pt nanocrystal on the hybrid support after 20?000 ADT cycles is retained at >95%, much higher than the commercially available catalyst. We suggest that the unique 2D profile of the RGO functions as a barrier, preventing leaching of Pt into the electrolyte, and the CB in the vicinity acts as active sites to recapture/renucleate the dissolved Pt species. We furthermore demonstrate that the working mechanism can be applied to the commercial Pt/C product to greatly enhance its durability.     

Electrochemical oxygen reduction on nitrogen doped graphene sheets in acid media

Nitrogen doped graphene were prepared via exfoliated graphite oxide. This graphene exhibited significantly high oxygen reduction activity. High electric conductivity, high surface area, large amount of edge sites and pyridinic N site in rGS (reduced graphene sheets) contribute to the high ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) activity. The rGS showed a potential to replace expensive Pt for oxygen reduction reaction in PEMFC.     

石墨烯量子点负载银纳米粒子制备及氧还原电催化活性

银基氧还原电催化剂具有较高的电催化活性且价格相对低廉,因而受到广泛关注. 本文采用简单、预先合成的石墨烯量子点作为载体和还原剂,制得了负载于石墨烯量子点、且无保护剂和表面活性剂的表面洁净银纳米粒子（Ag NPs/GQDs）. 电化学研究表明,Ag NPs/GQDs复合电催化剂的氧还原有较高的电催化活性,氧在碱性溶液中可经4电子途径还原为水. 与商业铂碳电极（Pt/C）相比,AgNPs/GQDs电极具有高催化电流密度、良好稳定性和极佳抗甲醇性能. 该银纳米粒子对开发高性能和低成本的非铂氧还原电催化剂有潜在的应用前景.     

MoS2 nanoparticles grown on graphene: an advanced catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Advanced materials for electrocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting are central to the area of renewable energy. In this work, we developed a selective solvothermal synthesis of MoS(2) nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets suspended in solution. The resulting MoS(2)/RGO hybrid material possessed nanoscopic few-layer MoS(2) structures with an abundance of exposed edges stacked onto graphene, in strong contrast to large aggregated MoS(2) particles grown freely in solution without GO. The MoS(2)/RGO hybrid exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) relative to other MoS(2) catalysts. A Tafel slope of ～41 mV/decade was measured for MoS(2) catalysts in the HER for the first time; this exceeds by far the activity of previous MoS(2) catalysts and results from the abundance of catalytic edge sites on the MoS(2) nanoparticles and the excellent electrical coupling to the underlying graphene network. The ～41 mV/decade Tafel slope suggested the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism for the MoS(2)-catalyzed HER, with electrochemical desorption of hydrogen as the rate-limiting step.     

Oxidizing metal ions with graphene oxide: the in situ formation of magnetic nanoparticles on self-reduced graphene sheets for multifunctional applications

Fe(2+) cations in FeCl(2) or FeSO(4) were oxidized by graphene oxide, leading to an in situ deposition of Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles onto the self-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. The resultant Fe(3)O(4)/rGO sheets were demonstrated to possess interesting magnetic and electrochemical properties attractive for a large variety of potential applications.     

A Strategy to Promote the Electrocatalytic Activity of Spinels for Oxygen Reduction by Structure Reversal

The electrocatalytic performance of a spinel for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) can be significantly promoted by reversing its crystalline structure from the normal to the inverse. As the spinel structure reversed, the activation and cleavage of O?O bonds are accelerated owing to a dissimilarity effect of the distinct metal atoms co‐occupying octahedral sites. The Co^IIFe^IIICo^IIIO₄ spinel with the Fe and Co co‐occupying inverse structure exhibits an excellent ORR activity, which even exceeds that of the state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pt/C by 42 mV in alkaline medium.     

铁、氮掺杂石墨烯/碳黑复合材料的制备及氧还原电催化性能

以高含氮量的2-氨基咪唑为氮源,三氯化铁为铁源,高比表面积的KJ600碳黑为载体,通过水热法制得氨基咪唑聚合物前驱体,再经二次高温热处理,制得石墨烯/碳黑复合材料. 透射电镜表征显示该材料为石墨烯纳米片与碳黑颗粒的复合结构. BET表征表明这是一种多孔结构,具有很高的比表面积（882 m²•g^-1）,这有利于暴露更多活性位点,并促进传质. XRD证实催化剂中存在石墨烯,且石墨烯结构是在第一次热处理过程中形成的. 电化学测试表明,该催化剂在酸性和碱性介质中都具有很高的氧还原电催化活性和低H₂O₂产率,并且在碱性介质中对甲醇小分子的抗毒化性能明显优于商业Pt/C催化剂,展示出在实际燃料电池系统中的应用潜力.     

Enhanced activity and stability of Pt catalysts on functionalized graphene sheets for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction

Electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction using Pt nanoparticles supported on functionalized graphene sheets (FGSs) was studied. FGSs were prepared by thermal expansion of graphite oxide. Pt nanoparticles with average diameter of 2 nm were uniformly loaded on FGSs by impregnation methods. Pt-FGS showed a higher electrochemical surface area and oxygen reduction activity with improved stability as compared with the commercial catalyst. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical characterization suggest that the improved performance of Pt-FGS can be attributed to smaller particle size and less aggregation of Pt nanoparticles on the functionalized graphene sheets.