Optimal Configuration of N‐Doped Carbon Defects in 2D Turbostratic Carbon Nanomesh for Advanced Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis

The charge redistribution strategy driven by heteroatom doping or defect engineering has been developed as an efficient method to endow inert carbon with significant oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. The synergetic effect between the two approaches is thus expected to be more effective for manipulating the charge distribution of carbon materials for exceptional ORR performance. Herein we report a novel molecular design strategy to achieve a 2D porous turbostratic carbon nanomesh with abundant N‐doped carbon defects (NDC). The molecular level integration of aromatic rings as the carbon source and urea units as the N source and sacrificial template into the novel precursor of polyurea (PU) promises the formation of abundant carbon edge defects and N doping sites. A special active site—a carbon edge defect doped with a graphitic valley N atom—was revealed to be responsible for the exceptional ORR performance of NDC material.     

Effect of microstructure of nitrogen-doped graphene on oxygen reduction activity in fuel cells

The development of fuel cells as clean-energy technologies is largely limited by the prohibitive cost of the noble-metal catalysts needed for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. A fundamental understanding of catalyst design principle that links material structures to the catalytic activity can accelerate the search for highly active and abundant nonmetal catalysts to replace platinum. Here, we present a first-principles study of ORR on nitrogen-doped graphene in acidic environment. We demonstrate that the ORR activity primarily correlates to charge and spin densities of the graphene. The nitrogen doping and defects introduce high positive spin and/or charge densities that facilitate the ORR on graphene surface. The identified active sites are closely related to doping cluster size and dopant-defect interactions. Generally speaking, a large doping cluster size (number of N atoms >2) reduces the number of catalytic active sites per N atom. In combination with N clustering, Stone-Wales defects can strongly promote ORR. For four-electron transfer, the effective reversible potential ranges from 1.04 to 1.15 V/SHE, depending on the defects and cluster size. The catalytic properties of graphene could be optimized by introducing small N clusters in combination with material defects.     

Effect of doping order on metal-free heteroatoms dual-doped carbon as oxygen reduction electrocatalyst

Metal-free heteroatoms dual-doped carbon has been recognized as one of the most promising Pt/C-substitutes for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).Herein,we optimize the preparation process by doping order of metal-free heteroatoms to obtain the best electrocatalytic performance through three types of dual-doped carbon,including XC-N(first X doping then N doping),NC-X(first N doping then X doping) and NXC(N and X doping)(X=P,S and F).XC-N has more defect than the other two indicated by Raman spectra.X-ray photoelectron spectrom(XPS) measurements indicate that N and X have been dual-doped into the carbon matrix with different doping contents and modes,Electrocatalytic results,including the potential of ORR peak(E_p),the half-wave potential,the diffusion-limiting current density mainly follows the order of XC-NNC-X NXC,Furthermore,the synergistic effect of second atom doping are also compared with the single doped carbon(NC,PC,SC and FC).The differences in electronegativity and atomic radius of these metal-free heteroatoms can affect the defect degree,the doping content and mode of hete roatoms on carbon matrix,induce polarization effect and space effect to affect O_2 adsorption and product desorption,ultimately to the ORR electrocatalytic performance.     

N,S-Co-Doped Porous Carbon Nanofiber Films Derived from Fullerenes (C60) as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction and a Zn–Air Battery

The development of highly efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted great attention for the creation of electrochemical energy devices. In this study, one-dimensional (1 D) fullerene nanofibers prepared from liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation are first fabricated into fullerene-derived carbon nanofiber films (FCNFs) through a simple filtration procedure. Then, pyrolysis of the FCNFs in the presence of ammonia and sulfur produces N- and S-co-doped porous carbon nanofiber films (N,S-PCNFs). As excellent metal-free electrocatalysts for the ORR, N,S-PCNFs exhibit remarkable catalytic activity, superior stability, and excellent methanol tolerance in both alkaline and acidic solution. Such a high ORR performance benefits from the robust porous nanofiber network structure with high concentrations of active N- and S- groups and abundant defects. Notably, upon practical use of N,S-PCNFs as catalysts in Zn-air batteries, a high power density and a large operating voltage are achieved, with a performance comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. This work presents a facile strategy for the creation of a new class of energy nanomaterials based on fullerenes, demonstrating their practical uses in electrocatalytic ORR processes and Zn-air batteries.     

Nanostructure Engineering of Metal–Organic Derived Frameworks: Cobalt Phosphide Embedded in Carbon Nanotubes as an Efficient ORR Catalyst

Heteroatom doping is considered an efficient strategy when tuning the electronic and structural modulation of catalysts to achieve improved performance towards renewable energy applications. Herein, we synthesized a series of carbon-based hierarchical nanostructures through the controlled pyrolysis of Co-MOF (metal organic framework) precursors followed by in situ phosphidation. Two kinds of catalysts were prepared: metal nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanotubes, and metal nanoparticles dispersed on the carbon surface. The results proved that the metal nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanotubes exhibit enhanced ORR electrocatalytic performance, owed to the enriched catalytic sites and the mass transfer facilitating channels provided by the hierarchical porous structure of the carbon nanotubes. Furthermore, the phosphidation of the metal nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanotubes (P-Co-CNTs) increases the surface area and porosity, resulting in faster electron transfer, greater conductivity, and lower charge transfer resistance towards ORR pathways. The P-Co-CNT catalyst shows a half-wave potential of 0.887 V, a Tafel slope of 67 mV dec⁻¹, and robust stability, which are comparatively better than the precious metal catalyst (Pt/C). Conclusively, this study delivers a novel path for designing multiple crystal phases with improved catalytic performance for energy devices.     

Singlet Oxygen Induced Site-Specific Etching Boosts Nitrogen-Carbon Sites for High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction

Targeted construction of carbon defects near the N dopants is an intriguing but challenging way to boost the electrocatalytic activity of N-doped carbon toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we report a novel site-specific etching strategy that features targeted anchoring of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) on the N-adjacent atoms to directionally construct topological carbon defects neighboring the N dopants in N-doped carbon (¹O₂−N/C). This ¹O₂−N/C exhibits the highest ORR half-wave potential of 0.915 V_RHE among all the reported metal-free carbon catalysts. Pyridinic-N bonded with a carbon pentagon of the neighboring topological carbon defects is identified as the primary active configuration, rendering enhanced adsorption of O₂, optimized adsorption energy of the ORR intermediates, and a significantly decreased total energy barrier for ORR. This ¹O₂-induced site-specific etching strategy is also applicable to different precursors, showing a tremendous potential for targeted construction of high-efficiency active sites in carbon-based materials.     

Nitrogen Doped Carbon as Efficient Catalyst toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction

A kind of nitrogen-doped carbon(NC) nanomaterials was prepared via calcining the nitrogen-rich organic molecular glycoluril under nitrogen atmosphere. Elemental analysis result indicates the N content of the obtained NC is 13.9 wt.%. Electrochemical measurement demonstrated that the obtained NC catalyst is an efficient ORR electrocatalyst in alkaline electrolyte. The process of ORR is dominated by a four-electron transfer pathway with the most efficient catalytic activity. In addition, the NC catalyst exhibits excellent stability and good resistance to methanol poisoning. After 10000 s of chronoamperometric durability test, the relative current of NC catalyst retained as high as 95%. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of cost-effective ORR catalysts with high catalytic performance.     

Self-sacrificial template synthesis of Fe,N co-doped porous carbon as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts towards Zn-air battery application

Designing highly efficient non-precious based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction（ORR） is of significance for the rapid development of metal-air batteries.Herein,a hydrothermal-pyrolysis method is employed to fabricate Fe,N co-doped porous carbon materials as effective ORR electrocatalyst through adopting graphitic carbon nitride（g-C₃ N₄） as both the self-sacrificial templates and N sources.The gC₃ N₄ provides a high concentration of unsatur...     

Fullerene-Derived Porous and Defective N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets as Advanced Trifunctional Metal-Free Electrocatalysts

Dopants and defects are crucial for multifunctional carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts, but the rational design and facile production remain as a big challenge. Herein, we report a novel strategy using salt-assisted pyrolysis of derivatized fullerenes to fabricate defect-rich and N-doped carbon nanosheets. Molecular level modification of C₆₀ via amination and hydroxylation gives rise to well-defined fullerol molecules bearing N-containing groups (FNG). Subsequent calcination of FNG and NaCl at 750 °C generates porous carbon nanosheets (FNCNs-750) and turns the N-containing groups into high-level N dopants (12.43 at.%). Further pyrolysis of FNCNs-750 at 900 °C (FNCNs-900) leads to a reduced N content populated by graphitic-N. Meanwhile, abundant intrinsic defects (e. g., topological defects and edges) are created due to the breakdown of fullerene cages and partial removal of edged N atoms. These structural features endow FNCNs-900 with outstanding trifunctional catalytic performance, better than or close to the noble metal-based benchmark catalysts.     

N,P-co-Doped Graphdiyne as Efficient Metal-free Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The carbon-based metal-free catalyst is one of the ideal alternatives to Pt as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction,which can reduce the cost of fuel cells and zinc-air batteries.Here,graphdiyne(GDY),a carbon material with uneven charge distribution,was used as substrate.By doping nitrogen and phosphorus,a N-P-GDY catalyst was prepared,which further regulated the electron structure of GDY.The sheet-like morphology of GDY was preserved in N-P-GDY.The N and P were distributed uniformly in the catalyst,whereas defects and active sites were created by doping N and P,as demonstrated by the element mapping images and Raman spectra.X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated N and P existed in many forms in N-P-GDY.The N-P-GDY exhibited higher activity for ORR than only N or P doped GDY,due to the synergistic effect of N and P in N-P-GDY.Moreover,the activity of N-P-GDY changed little after a long time cyclic voltammetry test or injecting methanol in the electrolyte.Besides,the four electrons transfer reaction to produce water was the main process for ORR on N-P-GDY catalysts.     

Awn Stem-Derived High-Activity Free-Metal Porous Carbon for Oxidation Reduction

Designing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts with excellent performance has far-reaching significance. In this work, a high-activity biomass free-metal carbon catalyst with N and S co-doped was successfully prepared by using the KOH activated awn stem powder as the precursor with organic matter pore-forming doping technology, which is named TAAS. The content of pyridine nitrogen groups accounts for up to 36% of the total nitrogen content, and a rich pore structure is formed on the surface and inside, which are considered as the potential active centers of ORR. The results show that the specific surface area of TAAS reaches 191.04 m²/g, which effectively increases the active sites of the catalyst, and the initial potential and half slope potential are as high as 0.90 and 0.76 V vs. RHE, respectively. This study provides a low-cost, environmentally friendly and feasible strategy for the conversion of low-value agricultural and forestry wastes into high value-added products to promote sustainable development of energy and the environment.     

A Nitrogen,Sulfur co-Doped Porphyrin-based Covalent Organic Framework as an Efficient Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction

Oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is a significant reaction for energy conversion systems(such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries, etc.). It is an urgent need to develop cheap, durable and highly-active catalysts for efficient ORR. Hence, we report a metal-free nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porphyrin-based covalent organic framework(COF) as a high-efficiency ORR catalyst[the onset potential(E_o) is 0.79 V and the half-wave potential(E_1/2) is 0.70 V]. The double doping of N and S atoms causes uneven charge distribution around carbon atoms, which can act as catalytic active centers, improving ORR activity. Compared with single-atom doping, double atoms doping exhibits a higher activity due to the synergistic effect between different elements. These results demonstrate that reasonable design of stable metal-free COFs with a high electrochemical activity can promote their wide applications.     

Insights into Nitrogen-doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction: The Role of Graphitic and Pyridinic Nitrogen Species

Nitrogen-doped carbons (N/Cs) manifest good catalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell systems. However, to date, controversies remain on the role of active sites in N/Cs. In the present study, ORR test was conducted on three N/Cs in O₂-saturated 0.1 M KOH aqueous solution, where apparent linear correlation between graphitic N contents and ORR activity was observed. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that graphitic N doping is energetically more favorable than that of pyridinic N doping for ORR and the pyridinic N leads to more preferential with 2 e^– ORR pathway. These results reveal that graphitic N plays a key role in N/Cs mediated ORR activity. This work lays a solid foundation on identifying the active sites in heteroatom-doped carbons and can be exploited for rational design and engineering of effective carbon-based ORR catalysts.     

Cu Nanoparticles Embedded in N‐Doped Carbon Materials for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Development of eco‐friendly, cost‐effective, and high‐performance electrocatalysts to replace precious metal platinum for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has received increasing attention. Herein, we adopt a facile one‐pot strategy to embed Cu nanoparticles onto N‐doped carbon‐graphene (Cu@NC‐700). The Cu@NC‐700 exhibits robust and efficient ORR catalysis with positive half‐wave potential (~0.86 V vs. RHE) and low Tafel slope (33.9 mV?dec^–1) in 0.1 M KOH solution. Meanwhile, it manifests remarkable electrochemical stability, and strong tolerance to methanol crossover and carbon monoxide poisoning. The synergistic effect between Cu‐N‐C sites, Cu nanoparticles, and N‐doped carbon support speeds up ORR electrocatalysis.     

In-situ self-templated preparation of porous core-shell Fe1-xS@N,S co-doped carbon architecture for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Transition metal compound(TMC)/carbon hybrids,as prospering electrocatalyst,have attracted great attention in the field of oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).Their morphology,structure and composition often play a crucial role in determining the ORR performance.In this work,we for the first time report the successful fabrication of porous core-shell Fe_1-xS@N,S co-doped carbon(Fe_1-xS@NSC-t,t represents etching time)by a novel in-situ self-template induced strategy using Fe3O4 nanospheres and pyrrole as sacrificial self-template.The post-polymerization of pyrrole can be accomplished by the Fe³⁺released through the etching of Fe₃O₄ by HCl acid.Thus,the etching time has a significant effect on the morphology,structure,composition a nd ORR performance of Fe_1-xS@NSC-t.Based on the cha racterizations,we find Fe_1-xS@NSC-24 can realize effective and balanced combination of Fe_1-xS and NSC,possessing porous core-shell architecture,optimized structure defect,specific surface area and doped heteroatoms configurations(especially for pyridinic N,graphitic N and Fe-N structure).These features thus lead to outstanding catalytic activity and cycling stability towards ORR.Our work provides a good guidance on the design of TMC/carbon-based electrodes with unique stable morphology and optimized structure and composition.     

Constructing Fe-N4 Sites through Anion Exchange-mediated Transformation of Fe Coordination Environments in Hierarchical Carbon Support for Efficient Oxygen Reduction

Metal single atoms (SAs) anchored in carbon support via coordinating with N atoms are efficient active sites to oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, rational design of single atom catalysts with highly exposed active sites is challenging and urgently desirable. Herein, an anion exchange strategy is presented to fabricate Fe-N₄ moieties anchored in hierarchical carbon nanoplates composed of hollow carbon spheres (Fe-SA/N-HCS). With the coordinating O atoms are substituted by N atoms, Fe SAs with Fe-O₄ configuration are transformed into the ones with Fe-N₄ configuration during the thermal activation process. Insights into the evolution of central atoms demonstrate that the SAs with specific coordination environment can be obtained by modulating in situ anion exchange process. The strategy produces a large quantity of electrochemical accessible site and high utilization rate of Fe-N₄. Fe-SA/N-HCS shows excellent ORR electrocatalytic performance with half-wave potential of 0.91 V (vs. RHE) in 0.1 M KOH, and outstanding performance when used in rechargeable aqueous and flexible Zn-air batteries. The evolution pathway for SAs demonstrated in this work offers a novel strategy to design SACs with various coordination environment and enhanced electrocatalytic activity.     

Fe-ZIF8 Coating Cu Foil Derived Carbon as A pH-Universal Electrocatalyst for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction

It is a great challenge to fabricate highly efficient pH-universal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, a facile strategy, which includes coating the Fe modified ZIF8 on Cu foil and in situ pyrolysis to evaporate and dope Cu into the MOF derived carbon, is developed to fabricate Fe/Cu−N co-doped carbon material (Cu/Fe−NC). Profiting from the modulated electron distribution and textual properties, well-designed Cu/Fe−NC exhibits superior half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.923 V in alkaline, 0.757 V in neutral and comparable 0.801 V in acid electrolytes, respectively. Furthermore, the ultralow peroxides yield of ORR demonstrates the high selectivity of Cu/Fe−NC in full pH scale electrolytes. As expected, the self-made alkaline and neutral zinc-air batteries equipped with Cu/Fe−NC cathode display excellent discharge voltages, outstanding peak power densities and remarkable stability. This work opens a new way to fabricate highly efficient and pH-universal electrocatalysts for ORR through strategy of Fe/Cu−N co-doping, Cu foil evaporation and carbon defects capture.     

A Site‐Selective Doping Strategy of Carbon Anodes with Remarkable K‐Ion Storage Capacity

The limited potassium‐ion intercalation capacity of graphite hampers development of potassium‐ion batteries (PIB). Edge‐nitrogen doping is an effective approach to enhance K‐ion storage in carbonaceous materials. One shortcoming is the lack of precise control over producing the edge‐nitrogen configuration. Here, a molecular‐scale copolymer pyrolysis strategy is used to precisely control edge‐nitrogen doping in carbonaceous materials. This process results in defect‐rich, edge‐nitrogen doped carbons (ENDC) with a high nitrogen‐doping level (up to 10.5 at %) and a high edge‐nitrogen ratio (87.6 %). The optimized ENDC exhibits a high reversible capacity of 423 mAh g^?1, a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 65 %, superior rate capability, and long cycle life (93.8 % retention after three months). This strategy can be extended to design other edge‐heteroatom‐rich carbons through pyrolysis of copolymers for efficient storage of various mobile ions.     

Dual‐Template Pore Engineering of Whey Powder‐Derived Carbon as an Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalyst for Primary Zinc‐Air Battery

Cost‐effective and high‐performance electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) are needed for many energy storage and conversion devices. Here, we demonstrate that whey powder, a major by‐product in the dairy industry, can be used as a sustainable precursor to produce heteroatom doped carbon electrocatalysts for ORR. Rich N and S compounds in whey powders can generate abundant catalytic active sites. However, these sites are not easily accessible by reactants of ORR. A dual‐template method was used to create a hierarchically and interconnected porous structure with micropores created by ZnCl₂ and large mesopores generated by fumed SiO₂ particles. At the optimum mass ratio of whey power: ZnCl₂ : SiO₂ at 1 : 3 : 0.8, the resulting carbon material has a large specific surface area close to 2000 m² g^?1, containing 4.6 at.% of N with 39.7% as pyridinic N. This carbon material shows superior electrocatalytic activity for ORR, with an electron transfer number of 3.88 and a large kinetic limiting current density of 45.40 mA cm^?2. They were employed as ORR catalysts to assemble primary zinc‐air batteries, which deliver a power density of 84.1 mW cm^?2 and a specific capacity of 779.5 mAh g^?1, outperforming batteries constructed using a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Our findings open new opportunities to use an abundant biomaterial, whey powder, to create high‐value‐added carbon electrocatalysts for emerging energy applications.     

Modulating Coordination of Iron Atom Clusters on N,P,S Triply-Doped Hollow Carbon Support towards Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction

Constructing atom-clusters (ACs) with in situ modulation of coordination environment and simultaneously hollowing carbon support are critical yet challenging for improving electrocatalytic efficiency of atomically dispersed catalysts (ADCs). Herein, a general diffusion-controlled strategy based on spatial confining and Kirkendall effect is proposed to construct metallic ACs in N,P,S triply-doped hollow carbon matrix (M_ACs/NPS−HC, M=Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu). Thereinto, Fe_ACs/NPS−HC with the best catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is thoroughly investigated. Unlike the benchmark sample of symmetrical N-surrounded iron single-atoms in N-doped carbon (Fe_SAs/N−C), Fe_ACs/NPS−HC comprises bi-/tri-atomic Fe centers with engineered S/N coordination. Theoretical calculation reveals that proper Fe gathering and coordination modulation could mildly delocalize the electron distribution and optimize the free energy pathways of ORR. In addition, the triple doping and hollow structure of carbon matrix could further regulate the local environment and allow sufficient exposure of active sites, resulting in more enhanced ORR kinetics on Fe_ACs/NPS−HC. The zinc-air battery assembled with Fe_ACs/NPS−HC as cathodic catalyst exhibits all-round superiority to Pt/C and most Fe-based ADCs. This work provides an exemplary method for establishing atomic-cluster catalysts with engineered S-dominated coordination and hollowed carbon matrix, which paves a new avenue for the fabrication and optimization of advanced ADCs.