Erythrocyte-like hollow carbon capsules and their application in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Hierarchical nanostructured erythrocyte-like hollow carbon (EHC) with a hollow hemispherical macroporous core of ca. 230 nm in diameter and 30-40 nm thick mesoporous shell was synthesized and explored as a cathode catalyst support in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The morphology control of EHC was successfully achieved using solid core/mesoporous shell (SCMS) silica template and different styrene/furfuryl alcohol mixture compositions by a nanocasting method. The EHC-supported Pt (20 wt%) cathodes prepared have demonstrated markedly enhanced catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) and greatly improved PEMFC polarization performance compared to carbon black Vulcan XC-72 (VC)-supported ones, probably due to the superb structural characteristics of the EHC such as uniform size, well-developed porosity, large specific surface area and pore volume. In particular, Pt/EHC cathodes exhibited ca. 30-60% higher ORR activity than a commercial Johnson Matthey Pt catalyst at a low catalyst loading of 0.2 mg Pt cm(-2).     

Pt纳米颗粒在氮掺杂空心碳微球上的高分散负载及其氧还原性能

通过热解自聚合多巴胺法制备了氮掺杂空心碳微球(N-HCMS), 并采用微波辅助乙二醇还原方法把Pt纳米粒子负载于N-HCMS上制得了Pt/N-HCMS催化剂. 催化剂的表面形貌、晶体结构及其比表面积和孔径分布等分别采用扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线衍射仪及比表面分析仪等进行表征. 采用循环伏安法和线性扫描伏安法研究了Pt/N-HCMS 催化剂在酸性条件下的电催化氧还原性能. Pt/N-HCMS 催化剂由于Pt纳米粒子的均匀分散、N-HCMS载体的快速电子传递及其独特的微孔和中空结构而具有很高的电催化氧还原活性, 其质量比活性是E-TEK Pt/C 催化剂的近两倍. Pt/N-HCMS 催化剂还具有优良的稳定性. 本工作对于开发高性能的燃料电池阴极催化剂具有重要意义.     

A Mesoporous Nanorattle‐Structured Pd@PtRu Electrocatalyst

Pt‐based nanomaterials play important roles in the catalytic process toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Rationally regulating the composition and morphology of the catalysts could enhance the catalytic performance effectively. In this work, an effective method is presented to synthesize Pd@ mesoporous PtRu nanorattles (Pd@mPtRu NRs) containing a Pd core and a mesoporous PtRu shell. Owing to the unique structure and PtRu alloy composition, the prepared Pd@mPtRu NRs exhibit an enhanced catalytic performance and durability toward ORR relative to mesoporous PtRu hollow nanoparticles (mPtRu HNs) and commercial Pt/C. The proposed approach may provide a general way to synthesize Pt‐based yolk‐shell structures with different compositions.     

Platinum nanoparticles supported on zirconia–carbon black nanocomposites for methanol oxidation reaction

Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles supported on zirconia–carbon black nanocomposites (Zr–C), which annealed at different temperatures, used as Pt/Zr–C electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are prepared and characterized in this study. Transmission electron microscope images and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the diameters of Pt nanoparticles are around 3–4 nm. Electrocatalytic MOR performances of these Pt/Zr–C electrocatalysts are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, CO-stripping voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. All the Pt/Zr–C electrocatalysts synthesized in this study exhibited higher MOR efficiency than that of the commercial E-TEK Pt/C electrocatalyst, and the electrocatalyst using Zr–C support annealed at 300 °C, achieving the highest MOR efficiency among all the electrocatalysts.     

Single-Cu-atoms anchored on 3D macro-porous carbon matrix as efficient catalyst for oxygen reduction and Pt co-catalyst for methanol oxidation

Single metal atoms immobilized on a carbon substrate are of great potential for enhancing the catalytic activities for oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation reactions（ORR/MOR） owing to the maximized atom utilization. Herein, single copper atoms（SCAs） are loaded on macro-porous nitrogen-doped carbon（Cu-NC） derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework-8（ZIF-8）, which are used as catalysts for ORR and Pt-supports for MOR. For ORR, the catalyst marked as Cu-NC-3 exhibits a higher peak potential of ...     

新型钴-聚吡咯-碳载Pt燃料电池催化剂的制备与表征

采用脉冲微波辅助化学还原法制备了钴-聚吡咯-碳(Co-PPy-C)载Pt催化剂(Pt/Co-PPy-C),其中Pt的总质量占20%.利用透射电镜(TEM)、光电子射线能谱分析(XPS)和X射线衍射(XRD)研究了催化剂的结构,用循环伏安(CV)、线性扫描伏安(LSV)等方法考察了其电化学活性及氧还原反应(ORR)动力学特性及耐久性.Pt/Co-PPy-C电催化剂的金属颗粒直径约1.8 nm,略小于商用催化剂Pt/C(JM)颗粒尺寸(约2.5 nm);催化剂在载体上分散均匀,粒径分布范围较窄.Pt/Co-PPy-C的电化学活性比表面积(ECSA)(75.1 m2·g-1)高于商用催化剂的ECSA(51.3 m2·g-1).XPS测试表明,自制催化剂表面的Pt主要以零价形式存在.而XRD结果显示,自制催化剂中Pt(111)峰最强,Pt主要为面心立方晶格.Pt/Co-PPy-C具有与Pt/C(JM)相同的半波电位;在0.9 V下,Pt/Co-PPy-C的比活性(1.21 mA·cm-2)高于商用催化剂的比活性(1.04 mA·cm-2),表现出更好的ORR催化活性.动力学性能测试表明催化剂的ORR反应以四电子路线进行.CV测试1000圈后,Pt/Co-PPy-C和Pt/C(JM)的ECSA分别衰减了13.0%和24.0%,可见自制催化剂的耐久性高于商用Pt/C(JM),在质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)领域有一定的应用前景.     

热解条件对氮杂有序介孔炭材料电催化性能的影响

氧还原反应是燃料电池及金属空气电池中极其重要的电化学反应之一,贵金属铂基催化剂被认为是最有效的氧还原反应电催化剂.然而,贵金属铂的资源稀缺以及高成本问题阻碍了相关技术的大规模应用,探索发展廉价高效的贵金属替代型催化剂是推动燃料电池发展的根本解决方案.近年来,人们在非贵金属催化剂开发方面取得了显著进展,其中新型纳米结构掺杂炭材料研究尤为活跃.氮杂有序介孔炭材料由于其高比表面积和独特的孔结构,在燃料电池技术上具有广泛的应用前景.在氮杂有序介孔炭材料的制备过程中,热解条件对炭材料组成、结构及电催化性能有着重要影响.然而,目前尚未见对氮杂炭材料制备过程中热解条件的影响进行系统研究.
　　本文采用我们发展的蒸汽化-毛细管冷凝法,以SBA-15为硬模板浸渍前驱体吡咯,制备出具有高比表面积和独特孔结构的氮杂有序介孔炭材料,系统研究了热解条件(包括热解温度、热解时间和升温速率)对炭材料组成、结构及电催化性能的影响,采用N2吸附-脱附等温线、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)及Raman光谱等方法考察了氮杂有序介孔炭材料的结构和组成,采用循环伏安法与旋转环盘电极研究了其电化学行为与氧还原反应电催化活性及选择性.
　　N2吸附-脱附等温线显示,氮杂炭材料对应IV型吸附-脱附等温线,孔径主要分布在2–10 nm,表明所制材料具有介孔结构.随着热处理温度升高,氮杂有序介孔炭材料比表面积先增加而后降低,热处理时间的延长有利于比表面积增大,但升温速率对所制炭材料比表面积没有明显影响,当升温速率为30 oC/min,900 oC焙烧3 h时,氮杂有序介孔炭材料的比表面积达到最大值888 m2/g. XPS测试结果表明,随着热处理温度升高,氮杂有序介孔炭材料中含氮基团的分解进一步加深,使N含量逐渐降低.延长热处理时间亦然,而升温速率的改变对N含量无明显影响.在热处理温度较低时(600 oC),所得材料中N主要以吡咯氮和吡啶氮的形式存在;当温度达到800 oC以上,吡咯氮转化为吡啶氮和骨架氮,且主要以骨架氮形式存在,说明氮杂有序介孔炭材料的石墨化程度逐渐升高. Raman光谱结果显示,随着热处理温度升高, ID/IG逐渐降低,进一步印证了温度对石墨化程度的影响.
　　电化学测试结果表明,随着热处理温度升高,氮杂有序介孔炭材料的氧还原反应电催化活性逐渐升高,但是当热处理温度从900 oC升至1000 oC时,氧还原反应活性增加很小;升温速率与热处理时间对氧还原反应电催化活性的影响均不明显.与商品Pt/C催化剂相比,900 oC以上所制催化剂均表现出更优异的氧还原电催化活性与选择性.由此可见,热处理温度是决定碳源热化学行为的关键因素,进而决定炭材料表面组成与结构.电化学研究结果表明,800 oC以上进行热处理碳化,所生成石墨化微晶可有效促进电子传递,降低欧姆极化损失,同时,较高的处理温度可促进骨架氮掺杂,从而构建出高效氧还原反应活性位点.因此,氮杂型炭催化剂的组成、结构与电化学性能更多地受控于热处理过程中的热力学,而非热解动力学过程.     

Bimetallic Pt-Au nanocatalysts electrochemically deposited on graphene and their electrocatalytic characteristics towards oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation

The burgeoning demand for clean and energy-efficient fuel cell system requires electrocatalysts to deliver greater activity and selectivity. Bimetallic catalysts have proven superior to single metal catalysts in this respect. This work reports the preparation, characterization, and electrocatalytic characteristics of a new bimetallic nanocatalyst. The catalyst, Pt-Au-graphene, was synthesized by electrodeposition of Pt-Au nanostructures on the surface of graphene sheets, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and voltammetry. The morphology and composition of the nanocatalyst can be easily controlled by adjusting the molar ratio between Pt and Au precursors. The electrocatalytic characteristics of the nanocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) were systematically investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The Pt-Au-graphene catalysts exhibits higher catalytic activity than Au-graphene and Pt-graphene catalysts for both the ORR and the MOR, and the highest activity is obtained at a Pt/Au molar ratio of 2:1. Moreover, graphene can significantly enhance the long-term stability of the nanocatalyst toward the MOR by effectively removing the accumulated carbonaceous species formed in the oxidation of methanol from the surface of the catalyst. Therefore, this work has demonstrated that a higher performance of ORR and the MOR could be realized at the Pt-Au-graphene electrocatalyst while Pt utilization also could be greatly diminished. This method may open a general approach for the morphology-controlled synthesis of bimetallic Pt-M nanocatalysts, which can be expected to have promising applications in fuel cells.     

新型钴-聚吡咯-碳载Pt燃料电池催化剂的制备与表征

采用脉冲微波辅助化学还原法制备了钴-聚吡咯-碳（Co-PPy-C）载Pt 催化剂（Pt/Co-PPy-C）,其中Pt 的总质量占20%. 利用透射电镜（TEM）、光电子射线能谱分析（XPS）和X射线衍射（XRD）研究了催化剂的结构,用循环伏安（CV）、线性扫描伏安（LSV）等方法考察了其电化学活性及氧还原反应（ORR）动力学特性及耐久性. Pt/Co-PPy-C电催化剂的金属颗粒直径约1.8 nm,略小于商用催化剂Pt/C（JM）颗粒尺寸（约2.5 nm）;催化剂在载体上分散均匀,粒径分布范围较窄. Pt/Co-PPy-C的电化学活性比表面积（ECSA）（75.1 m²·g^-1）高于商用催化剂的ECSA（51.3 m²·g^-1）. XPS测试表明,自制催化剂表面的Pt 主要以零价形式存在. 而XRD结果显示,自制催化剂中Pt（111）峰最强,Pt 主要为面心立方晶格. Pt/Co-PPy-C具有与Pt/C（JM）相同的半波电位;在0.9 V下,Pt/Co-PPy-C的比活性（1.21 mA·cm^-2）高于商用催化剂的比活性（1.04 mA·cm^-2）,表现出更好的ORR催化活性.动力学性能测试表明催化剂的ORR反应以四电子路线进行. CV测试1000 圈后,Pt/Co-PPy-C和Pt/C（JM）的ECSA 分别衰减了13.0%和24.0%,可见自制催化剂的耐久性高于商用Pt/C（JM）,在质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）领域有一定的应用前景.     

High-loading Pt nanoparticles on mesoporous carbon with large mesopores for highly active methanol electro-oxidation

High metal-loading Pt/C electrocatalysts are important for the fabrication of thin-layered membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). However, the preparation of high-loading Pt catalysts with a narrow size distribution of nanoparticles remains a challenge. Herein, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) with large mesopores (~15 nm) and a high surface area (1316.0 m² g^?1) was fabricated using a SiO₂ nanosphere array as a template. This material was developed to support a high loading of Pt nanoparticles (60 wt%) and was then used as an electrocatalyst for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The prepared Pt/OMC contains Pt nanoparticles with an average size of ~1.9 nm that are uniformly dispersed on the mesoporous walls of the OMC. The Pt/OMC catalyst exhibits smaller Pt nanoparticle size, greater Pt dispersion, larger specific electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), and higher electrocatalytic activity for the MOR than the carbon black (Vulcan XC-72R)-supported Pt and the commercial Pt/C catalysts.     

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.     

High loading Pt nanoparticles on ordered mesoporous carbon sphere arrays for highly active methanol electro-oxidation

Three-dimensionally (3D) ordered mesoporous carbon sphere arrays (OMCS) are explored to support high loading (60 wt%) Pt nanoparticles as electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The OMCS has a unique hierarchical nanostructure with ordered large mesopores and macropores that can facilitate high dispersion of the Pt nanoparticles and fast mass transport during the reactions. The prepared Pt/OMCS exhibits uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles with an average size of 2.0 nm on the mesoporous walls of the carbon spheres. The Pt/OMCS catalyst shows significantly enhanced specific electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) (73.5 m² g^-1) and electrocatalytic activity (0.69 mA cm^-2) for the MOR compared with the commercial 60 wt% Pt/C catalyst.     

Hydrothermal-Induced Formation of Well-Defined Hollow Carbons with Curvature-Activated N−C Sites for Zn–Air Batteries

Metal-free carbons have been regarded as one of the promising materials alternatives to precious-metal catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their high activity and stability. In this paper, well-defined N-doped hollow carbons (NHCs) are firstly synthesized by using an ammonia-based hydrothermal synthesis that is environmentally friendly and suitable for mass production in industry and a commercial black carbon as raw material. Moreover, the shell thickness of the NHCs can be easily tuned by this hydrothermal strategy. Zn–air battery test results reveal shell thickness-dependent activity and durability for ORR over the NHCs, which exceeds that obtained by commercial Pt/C (20 wt %). The enhanced battery performance can be attributed to the curvature-activated N–C moieties on the hollow carbon surface, which served as the main active sites for ORR as evidenced by DFT calculations. The proposed approach may open a way for designing curved hollow carbons with high graphitization degree and dopant nitrogen level for metal–air batteries or fuel cells.     

Aqueous treatment of single-walled carbon nanotubes for preparation of Pt–Fe core–shell alloy using galvanic exchange reaction: Selective catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction over methanol oxidation

We have demonstrated a new, cost effective synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotube supported Pt–Fe core–shell alloy catalyst (Pt–Fe/SWNT) for the direct methanol fuel cell using galvanic exchange reaction. The Pt–Fe/SWNTs have shown much larger Pt active surface area (150 m²/g-Pt) than the commercial catalyst (54 m²/g-Pt). Furthermore, four-fold enhancement of catalytic activity of the Pt–Fe/SWNTs for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been observed. This catalyst has also demonstrated its tolerance to methanol in ORR.     

不同结构及氮掺杂NiO/rGO氧还原催化剂的制备与性能研究

本文以还原氧化石墨烯（rGO）为载体制备了片状NiO/rGO和球形NiO/N-rGO结构的氧还原催化剂. 通过X-射线衍射（XRD）、Raman（拉曼）测试、X-射线光电子能谱（XPS）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和透射电子显微镜（TEM）等方法表征了两种催化剂的结构和形貌. 采用循环伏安法（CV）、Tafel曲线、线性扫描伏安法（LSV）、旋转圆盘电极（RDE）和旋转环盘电极（RRDE）等技术测试研究了两种催化剂的电化学催化氧还原性能. 研究结果表明,球形NiO/N-rGO催化剂催化氧还原的峰电流密度和起始电位（0.89 V vs. RHE）与商业化的Pt/C（20%）催化剂相近. 旋转圆盘电极（RDE）和旋转环盘电极（RRDE）测试证明,在碱性电解液中NiO/rGO和NiO/N-rGO催化的氧还原反应均主要通过4?鄄电子途径反应途径发生,球形NiO/N-rGO催化剂展现出替代Pt/C基催化剂的潜力.     

氮、硫共掺杂的碳负载的钴@碳化钴:一种高效的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂

Development of high-efficiency and low-cost electrocatalysts for large-scale oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a challenge. In this study, we employed melamine, trithiocyanuric acid, and cobaltous nitrate to fabricate a novel ORR electrocatalyst with cobalt and cobalt carbide supported on carbon co-doped with nitrogen and sulfur (hereafter referred to as MTC-0.1-900) by two-step pyrolysis. The MTC-0.1-900 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical performance for ORR was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry in 0.1 mol·L^-1 KOH solutions. The results showed that the onset potential and half-wave potential of MTC-0.1-900 were 29 and 5 mV superior to the commercial Pt/C catalyst, respectively. After 12000 s operation at the potential of -0.3 V (vs Ag/AgCl), the current retention capacities of MTC-0.1-900 and Pt/C were 97.1% and 76.7%, respectively. MTC-0.1-900 also showed better methanol tolerance than Pt/C. These unique properties of MTC-0.1-900 provide us with an alternative for replacing or reducing the use of Pt catalyst in metal-air battery cathode materials.     

Spherical carbon capsules with hollow macroporous core and mesoporous shell structures as a highly efficient catalyst support in the direct methanol fuel cell

Carbon capsules with hollow core and mesoporous shell (HCMS) structures were used as a support material for Pt(50)-Ru(50) catalyst, and the catalytic performance of the HCMS supported catalyst in the direct methanol fuel cell was described; the HCMS carbon supported catalysts exhibited much higher specific activity for methanol oxidation than the commonly used E-TEK catalyst by about 80%, proving that the HCMS carbon capsules are an excellent support for electrode catalysts in DMFC.     

A facile template approach for the synthesis of mesoporous Fe3C/Fe-Ndoped carbon catalysts for efficient and durable oxygen reduction reaction

Layer-structured FeOCl was used as a novel inorganic template and the Fe doping source for the facile synthesis of three-dimensional polypyrrole structures which can be converted into mesoporous Fe₃C/Fe-N-doped carbon catalysts for efficient and robust oxygen reduction reaction.     

Synthesis of Hollow Platinum–Palladium Nanospheres with a Dendritic Shell as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation

Engineering the size, composition, and morphology of platinum‐based nanomaterials can provide a great opportunity to improve the utilization efficiency of electrocatalysts and reinforce their electrochemical performances. Herein, three‐dimensional platinum–palladium hollow nanospheres with a dendritic shell (PtPd‐HNSs) are successfully fabricated through a facile and economic route, during which SiO₂ microspheres act as the hard template for the globular cavity, whereas the triblock copolymer F127 contributes to the formation of the dendritic shell. In contrast with platinum hollow nanospheres (Pt‐HNSs) and commercial platinum on carbon (Pt/C) catalyst, the novel architecture shows a remarkable activity and durability toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) owing to the coupled merits of bimetallic nanodendrites and a hollow interior. As a proof of concept, this strategy is also extended to trimetallic gold–palladium–platinum hollow nanospheres (AuPdPt‐HNSs), which paves the way towards the controlled synthesis of other bi‐ or multimetallic platinum‐based hollow electrocatalysts.     

Hollow PtFe Alloy Nanoparticles Derived from Pt-Fe3O4 Dimers through a Silica-Protection Reduction Strategy as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

The development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical for the large-scale production of fuel cells. Platinum (Pt) nanoparticle catalysts show excellent performance for ORR, though the high cost of Pt is a limiting factor that directly impacts fuel cell production costs. Alloying Pt with other transition metals is an effective strategy to reduce Pt utilization whilst maintaining good ORR performance. In this work, novel hollow PtFe alloy catalysts were successfully synthesized by high-temperature pyrolysis of SiO₂-coated Pt-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle dimers supported on carbon at 900 °C, followed by SiO₂ shell removal and partial dealloying of the PtFe nanoparticles formed using HF. The obtained hollow PtFe nanoparticle catalysts (denoted herein as PtFe-900) showed a 2.3-fold enhancement in ORR mass activity compared to PtFe nanoparticles synthesized without SiO₂ protection, and a remarkable 7.8-fold enhancement relative to a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Further, after 10 000 potential cycles, the ORR mass activity of PtFe-900 remained very high (90.9 % of the initial mass activity). The outstanding ORR performance of PtFe-900 can be attributed to the modification of Pt lattice and electronic structure by alloying with Fe at high temperature under the protection of the SiO₂ coating. This work guides the development of improved, highly dispersed Pt-based alloy nanoparticle catalysts for ORR and fuel cell applications.