前驱体中N含量对FeN/C催化剂氧还原活性的影响研究

采用热解法制备FeN/C催化剂,考察催化剂前驱体中氮含量对其氧还原活性的影响. 使用X射线衍射、比表面积和孔径分布测试、透射电子显微镜以及热重分析等方法对催化剂的结构、形貌及催化剂前驱体的热性质等进行表征,使用线性扫描伏安法对催化剂的氧还原活性进行测试. 结果表明,以1,10-菲啰啉为氮源,FeCl₃为铁源,Black Pearl 2000为载体,催化剂前驱体中1,10-菲啰啉含量为20wt%,Fe含量为1wt %时,热处理制备所得催化剂粒子分布均匀,比表面积为824.48 m ²·g ^-1,平均孔隙为10.58 nm,表面的氮元素含量为0.31wt%;并具有最好的氧还原催化活性.催化剂前驱体中氮源含量在热解过程中导致催化剂的比表面积、孔径结构及表面氮元素含量的变化是影响催化剂活性的关键因素.     

氮化钨-钨/掺氮有序介孔碳复合材料的制备及其氧还原性能

采用软模板法制备了氮化钨-钨/掺氮有序介孔碳复合材料(WN-W/NOMC),作为一种高比表面积且价格低廉的阴极氧还原反应催化剂。通过适量添加尿素来改变复合材料中的氮含量,在掺氮量为7%(w/w)时,实验发现材料能够保持完整有序介孔结构,测试其比表面积高达835 m~2·g~(-1),透射电子显微镜(TEM)测试结果显示其催化颗粒均匀地分散在氮掺杂有序介孔碳载体上。在O_2饱和的0.1 mol·L~(-1 )KOH溶液中测试了材料的氧还原催化性能(ORR),显示其起始电位为0.87 V(vs RHE),极限电流密度为4.49 mA·cm~(-2),氧还原反应的转移电子数为3.4,接近于20%(w/w)商业Pt/C的3.8,说明该材料表现出近似4电子的氧还原反应途径。研究结果表明,WN-W/NOMC的催化性能虽然稍弱于商业铂碳(0.99 V,5.1 mA·cm~(-2)),但其具有远超铂碳的循环稳定性和耐甲醇毒化能力。     

氮化钨-钨/掺氮有序介孔碳复合材料的制备及其氧还原性能

采用软模板法制备了氮化钨-钨/掺氮有序介孔碳复合材料（WN-W/NOMC）,作为一种高比表面积且价格低廉的阴极氧还原反应催化剂。通过适量添加尿素来改变复合材料中的氮含量,在掺氮量为7%（w/w）时,实验发现材料能够保持完整有序介孔结构,测试其比表面积高达835 m²·g^-1,透射电子显微镜（TEM）测试结果显示其催化颗粒均匀地分散在氮掺杂有序介孔碳载体上。在O₂饱和的0.1 mol·L^-1 KOH溶液中测试了材料的氧还原催化性能（ORR）,显示其起始电位为0.87 V（vs RHE）,极限电流密度为4.49 mA·cm^-2,氧还原反应的转移电子数为3.4,接近于20%（w/w）商业Pt/C的3.8,说明该材料表现出近似4电子的氧还原反应途径。研究结果表明,WN-W/NOMC的催化性能虽然稍弱于商业铂碳（0.99 V,5.1 mA·cm^-2）,但其具有远超铂碳的循环稳定性和耐甲醇毒化能力。     

Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework (ZIF)‐Derived,Hollow‐Core,Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanostructures for Oxygen‐Reduction Reactions in PEFCs

The facile synthesis of a porous carbon material that is doped with iron‐coordinated nitrogen active sites (FeNC‐70) is demonstrated by following an inexpensive synthetic pathway with a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐70) as a template. To emphasize the possibility of tuning the porosity and surface area of the resulting carbon materials based on the structure of the parent ZIF, two other ZIFs, that is, ZIF‐68 and ZIF‐69, are also synthesized. The resulting active carbon material that is derived from ZIF‐70, that is, FeNC‐70, exhibits the highest BET surface area of 262 m² g^?1 compared to the active carbon materials that are derived from ZIF‐68 and ZIF‐69. The HR‐TEM images of FeNC‐70 show that the carbon particles have a bimodal structure that is composed of a spherical macroscopic pore (about 200 nm) and a mesoporous shell. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals the presence of Fe‐N‐C moieties, which are the primary active sites for the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR). Quantitative estimation by using EDAX analysis reveals a nitrogen content of 14.5 wt. %, along with trace amounts of iron (0.1 wt. %), in the active FeNC‐70 catalyst. This active porous carbon material, which is enriched with Fe‐N‐C moieties, reduces the oxygen molecule with an onset potential at 0.80 V versus NHE through a pathway that involves 3.3–3.8 e^? under acidic conditions, which is much closer to the favored 4 e^? pathway for the ORR. The onset potential of FeNC‐70 is significantly higher than those of its counterparts (FeNC‐68 and FeNC‐69) and of other reported systems. The FeNC‐based systems also exhibit much‐higher tolerance towards MeOH oxidation and electrochemical stability during an accelerated durability test (ADT). Electrochemical analysis and structural characterizations predict that the active sites for the ORR are most likely to be the in situ generated N? FeN₂₊₂/C moieties, which are distributed along the carbon framework.     

Soft‐Templating Synthesis of N‐Doped Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The development of ordered mesoporous carbon materials with controllable structures and improved physicochemical properties by doping heteroatoms such as nitrogen into the carbon framework has attracted a lot of attention, especially in relation to energy storage and conversion. Herein, a series of nitrogen‐doped mesoporous carbon spheres (NMCs) was synthesized via a facile dual soft‐templating procedure by tuning the nitrogen content and carbonization temperature. Various physical and (electro)chemical properties of the NMCs have been comprehensively investigated to pave the way for a feasible design of nitrogen‐containing porous carbon materials. The optimized sample showed a favorable electrocatalytic activity as evidenced by a high kinetic current and positive onset potential for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to its large surface area, high pore volume, good conductivity, and high nitrogen content, which make it a highly efficient ORR metal‐free catalyst in alkaline solutions.     

Bottom‐Up Fabrication of a Sandwich‐Like Carbon/Graphene Heterostructure with Built‐In FeNC Dopants as Non‐Noble Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

High‐performance non‐noble electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are the prerequisite for large‐scale utilization of fuel cells. Herein, a type of sandwiched‐like non‐noble electrocatalyst with highly dispersed FeN_x active sites embedded in a hierarchically porous carbon/graphene heterostructure was fabricated using a bottom‐up strategy. The in situ ion substitution of Fe³⁺ in a nitrogen‐containing MOF (ZIF‐8) allows the Fe‐heteroatoms to be uniformly distributed in the MOF precursor, and the assembly of Fe‐doped ZIF‐8 nano‐crystals with graphene‐oxide and in situ reduction of graphene‐oxide afford a sandwiched‐like Fe‐doped ZIF‐8/graphene heterostructure. This type of heterostructure enables simultaneous optimization of FeN_x active sites, architecture and interface properties for obtaining an electron‐catalyst after a one‐step carbonization. The synergistic effect of these factors render the resulting catalysts with excellent ORR activities. The half‐wave potential of 0.88 V vs. RHE outperforms most of the none‐noble metal catalyst and is comparable with the commercial Pt/C (20 wt %) catalyst. Apart from the high activity, this catalyst exhibits excellent durability and good methanol‐tolerance. Detailed investigations demonstrate that a moderate content of Fe dopants can effectively increase the intrinsic activities, and the hybridization of graphene can enhance the reaction kinetics of ORR. The strategy proposed in this work gives an inspiration towards developing efficient noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts for ORR.     

A Simple Synthesis of an N‐Doped Carbon ORR Catalyst: Hierarchical Micro/Meso/Macro Porosity and Graphitic Shells

Replacing platinum as an oxygen reduction catalyst is an important scientific and technological challenge. Herein we report a simple synthesis of a complex carbon with very good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity at pH 13. Pyrolysis of magnesium nitrilotriacetate yields a carbon with hierarchical micro/meso/macro porosity, resulting from in situ templating by spontaneously forming MgO nanoparticles and from etching by pyrolysis gases. The mesopores are lined with highly graphitic shells. The high ORR activity is attributed to a good balance between high specific surface area and mass transport through the hierarchical porosity, and to improved electronic conductivity through the graphitic shells. This novel carbon has a high surface area (1320 m²g^?1), and high nitrogen content for a single precursor synthesis (～6 %). Importantly, its synthesis is both cheap and easily scalable.     

Nitrogen-doped ordered porous carbon catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Three different N-doped ordered porous carbons (CNx) were produced by a nanocasting process using polyaniline as the carbon and nitrogen precursor. A pyrolysis treatment of iron chloride-impregnated CNx under nitrogen is used in the preparation of the carbon composite catalysts, and this is followed by posttreatments and optimization of the iron loading and the pore size. Exploration of the catalytic activity of the CNx products for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using rotating disk electrode measurements and single-cell tests shows that the onset potential for ORR of the most effective catalyst in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ is as high as 0.9 V vs. the normal hydrogen electrode. A proton exchange membrane fuel cell constructed with the catalyst exhibits a current density as high as 0.52 A cm^?2 at 0.6 V with 2 atm back pressure using a cathode catalyst loading of 6 mg cm^?2. The average pore diameters of synthesized CNx-12, CNx-15, and CNx-16 are 0.7, 4.3, and 14 nm, respectively. It is observed that the pore size and specific surface area are an important factor for increased catalyst activity. The pore size of the most effective catalysts is found to be 4.3 nm.     

Nanosheets with High-Performance Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction Reaction Revived from Green Walnut Peel

The synthesis of metal-free carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) to replace conventional Pt-based catalysts has become a hot spot in current research. This work proposes an activation-assisted carbonization strategy, to manufacture N-doped ultra-thin carbon nanosheets (GWS180M800) with high catalytic activity, namely, melamine is used as an accelerator/nitrogen source, and walnut green peels biological waste as a carbon source. The melamine acts as a nitrogen donor in the hydrothermal process, effectively enhancing the nitrogen doping rate. The content of pyridine nitrogen groups accounts for up to 48.5% of the total nitrogen content. Electrochemical tests show that the GWS180M800 has excellent ORR electrocatalytic activity and stability, and makes a quasi-four-electron ORR pathway clear in the alkaline electrolyte. The initial potential and half slope potential are as high as 1.01 and 0.82 V vs. RHE, respectively. The GWS180M800 catalyst has a better ability to avoid methanol cross poisoning than Pt/C has. Compared with 20 wt% Pt/C, GWS180M800 has improved methanol tolerance and stability. It is a metal-free biochar ORR catalyst with great development potential and application prospects. This result provides a new space for the preparation of valuable porous nano-carbon materials based on carbonaceous solid waste and provides new ideas for catalyzing a wide range of electrochemical reactions in the future.     

基于超重力技术开展Co-N-CNTs催化剂制备及其氧还原性能的研究

开发高效的非贵金属氧还原(ORR)催化剂是促进燃料电池商业化进程的关键。本研究利用超重力技术制备了一种优良的非贵金属ORR催化剂Co-N-CNTs。物理表征表明,通过超重力技术可以使作为活性位点的金属Co纳米颗粒均匀分布在Co-N-CNTs催化剂表面,X射线光电子能谱(XPS)揭示Co-N-CNTs催化剂中的N元素不仅可以和碳纳米管(CNTs)中的C元素形成吡咯氮和石墨氮,还可以形成具有更高氧还原活性的吡啶氮结构。电化学测试结果表明,通过超重力技术制备的Co-N-CNTs催化剂的起始电位和半波电位与商业Pt/C催化剂相当;而且,Co-N-CNTs催化剂展现出优良的抗甲醇性能。     

Ionic Liquids as Precursors for Efficient Mesoporous Iron‐Nitrogen‐Doped Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

A ferrocene‐based ionic liquid (Fe‐IL) is used as a metal‐containing feedstock with a nitrogen‐enriched ionic liquid (N‐IL) as a compatible nitrogen content modulator to prepare a novel type of non‐precious‐metal–nitrogen–carbon (M‐N‐C) catalysts, which feature ordered mesoporous structure consisting of uniform iron oxide nanoparticles embedded into N‐enriched carbons. The catalyst Fe¹⁰@NOMC exhibits comparable catalytic activity but superior long‐term stability to 20 wt % Pt/C for ORR with four‐electron transfer pathway under alkaline conditions. Such outstanding catalytic performance is ascribed to the populated Fe (Fe₃O₄) and N (N2) active sites with synergetic chemical coupling as well as the ordered mesoporous structure and high surface area endowed by both the versatile precursors and the synthetic strategy, which also open new avenues for the development of M‐N‐C catalytic materials.     

FeNi Alloy Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Carbon Shells Supported on N-Doped Graphene-Like Carbon as Efficient and Stable Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts

The development of cost-effective and durable oxygen electrocatalysts remains highly critical but challenging for energy conversion and storage devices. Herein, a novel FeNi alloy nanoparticle core encapsulated in carbon shells supported on a N-enriched graphene-like carbon matrix (denoted as FeNi@C/NG) was constructed by facile pyrolyzing the mixture of metal salts, glucose, and dicyandiamide. The in situ pyrolysis of dicyandiamide in the presence of glucose plays a significant effect on the fabrication of the porous FeNi@C/NG with a high content of doped N and large specific surface area. The optimized FeNi@C/NG catalyst displays not only a superior catalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR, with an onset potential of 1.0 V and half-wave potential of 0.84 V) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, the potential at 10 mA cm⁻² is 1.66 V) simultaneously in alkaline, but also outstanding long-term cycling durability. The excellent bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalytic performance is ascribed to the synergism of the carbon shell and FeNi alloy core together with the high-content of nitrogen doped on the large specific surface area graphene-like carbon.     

A facile approach for constructing nitrogen-doped carbon layers over carbon nanotube surface for oxygen reduction reaction

Fabricating nitrogen-doped carbon layers over the conductive substrate is a cost-effective and efficient approach to develop practical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. In the current work, relying on the commercially available carbon nanotube (CNT), nitrogen-doped carbon layers over CNT is constructed by annealing the in situ formed complex over the CNT surface derived from iron ion inducing diaminonaphthalene (DAN) polymerization and DAN self-polymerization. Physical and electrochemical characterizations are carefully conducted to comparatively analyze the structure and activity relationship. The significance of iron in constructing nitrogen-doped carbon layers and tuning active sites of N types over multiwall carbon nanotube for ORR is demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman scattering spectrum. The excellent performance of nitrogen-doped carbon layers over CNT (catalyzed by iron) towards ORR is displayed by rotating ring-disk electrode. Specifically, the onset potential, half-wave potential, and limiting current density are 0.961 V, 0.831 V, and 5.20 mA cm^?2 respectively, very close to the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst. Both high surface area and efficient N active sites should be considered in the nitrogen-doped carbon materials design and fabrication for ORR. Considering the large-scale availability, it has significant value in fuel cells commercial applications.     

Cu/Cu_2O nanoparticles co-regulated carbon catalyst for alkaline Al-air batteries

Developing high-efficiency,inexpensive,and steady non-precious metal oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) catalysts to displace Pt-based catalysts is significant for commercial applications of Al-air battery.Here,we have prepared the Cu/Cu_2 O-NC catalyst with excellent ORR performance and high stability,due to the synergistic effect of Cu and Cu_2 O nanoparticles.The half-wave potential(0.8 V) and the limiting-current density(5.20 mA/cm~2) of the Cu/Cu_2 O-NC are very close to those of the 20% Pt/C catalyst(0.82 V,5.10 mA/cm~2).Besides,it exhibits excellent performance with a maximal power density of 250 mW/cm~2 and a stable continuous discharge for more than 90 h in the Al-air battery test The promoting effects of Cu_2 O towards Cu-based ORR catalysts are illustrated as follows:(ⅰ) Cu_2 O is the major ORR active site by the redox of Cu(Ⅱ)/Cu(Ⅰ),which provides excellent ORR activities;(ⅱ) Cu can stabilize the location of Cu_2 O by assisting the electron transfer to Cu(Ⅱ)/Cu(Ⅰ) redox,which is conducive to the high stability of the catalyst.This work provides a useful strategy for enhancing the ORR performance of Cu-based catalysts.     

Metal Phthalocyanine‐Porphyrin‐based Conjugated Microporous Polymer‐derived Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Zn‐Air Batteries

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) as emerging porous materials with diverse structures and tunable building‐units have attracted much attention in the electrochemical field. Herein, we designed phthalocyanine‐porphyrin‐based conjugated microporous polymers as precursors for fabrication of Co, Fe, N tri‐doped graphene composites towards oxygen reduction and evolution reaction (ORR/OER). As expected, the elements cobalt and iron are well dispersed in graphene carbon and interact with the nitrogen sites, thereby providing extra electrocatalytic active sites and enhancing its overall conductivity. Benefiting from its unique design and structure, the obtained catalyst affords a superior bifunctional catalytic activity with a positive onset potential of 0.957 V for ORR, and a low overpotential of 0.36 V for OER. More attractively, the CoFeNG is employed as an air cathode catalyst in Zn‐air batteries, showing a maximum current density of 215 mA cm^?2 and good cycle stability for 20000 s. The rational design of phthalocyanine‐porphyrin‐based derivatives provides a feasible route for the construction of high‐performance ORR/OER catalysts.     

Nanowire-Templated Synthesis of FeNx-Decorated Carbon Nanotubes as Highly Efficient,Universal-pH,Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysts

It is of increasing importance to develop highly active and economical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts, which have great significance for the large-scale implementation of various energy conversion systems, including metal–air batteries and fuel cells. Herein, a novel method to synthesize FeN_x-decorated carbon nanotubes as a high-efficiency ORR catalyst, by utilizing ZnO nanowires as a sacrificial template and a Fe–polydopamine complex as metal and carbon sources, is reported. The obtained catalyst shows great potential for replacing Pt/C as the ORR catalyst under various pH conditions, from alkaline to acidic electrolytes. The high conductivity, large surface area of the carbon nanotube, and highly active FeN_x species contributed greatly to the high performance of the catalyst. The work presented herein paves a new way for the synthesis of 1D porous nanomaterials for a broad range of energy-related applications.     

氮掺杂纳米碳块的制备及氧还原的高电化学催化活性

面对全球化的能源危机,燃料电池由于其高效性和可重复使用性成为越来越具有潜力的能量转化设备.阴极发生的氧气还原反应对于燃料电池的性能十分重要,寻找高效的氧还原催化剂在很大程度上可以提高燃料电池的性能.传统的氧还原催化剂是贵金属铂,但是铂的价格十分高,较差的稳定性和选择性限制了它的商业化应用,因此找到一种廉价高效的非贵金属氧还原催化剂来代替铂基催化剂成为目前的研究热点.我们最近发现将纯的三羟甲基氨基甲烷置于管式炉中在800°C下真空烧制2 h,可以简单快捷地得到一种含 N量为4.11%的纳米碳块(标记为 NCNBs-800),该材料可用于催化电化学氧气还原反应.同样情况下在700和900°C下合成的材料标记为 NCNBs-700和 NCNBs-900.采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和电化学旋转圆盘方法与技术对催化剂的成分、形貌和电催化性能进行了表征. SEM表明 NCNBs-800为直径为60 nm的碳块,用 FTIR手段表征了 NCNBs-800的结构变化,三羟甲基氨基甲烷中的–OH和–NH2在高温下发生消去反应,形成了饱和度不同的 C–N键和 C–C键.这些饱和度不同的 N原子和 C原子增加了材料的缺陷结构和活性位点,进一步促进了氧还原反应的催化性能.采用 XPS分析了 NCNBs-800表面的元素,通过对 N 1s进行分峰拟合,发现 NCNBs-800含有能促进氧还原性能的吡啶-N和吡咯-N,特别是吡啶-N,它吸电子的能力很强,从而导致与它邻近的 C原子表面具有一定的正电荷,这些正电荷促进了氧气的吸附和还原,为氧气还原反应提供活性位点,促进氧气还原反应的发生. XRD结果表明,三羟甲基氨基甲烷热解前后的 XRD谱图有明显变化,热解后的三羟甲基氨基甲烷呈现两个宽峰,代表着杂化碳的存在. NCNBs-800的衍射峰强度比 NCNBs-700以及 NCNBs-900大,但是宽度则比 NCNBs-700以及 NCNBs-900小,这表明800°C有利于材料的石墨烯化及碳化过程.电化学阻抗可以表明修饰电极的表面性质,阻抗图中高频处半圆的直径大小代表电子转移阻力,低频处的线性部分代表扩散过程.阻抗数据表明, NCNBs-800的电荷转移电阻可与 Pt/C催化剂相比,但是比裸露的玻碳电极小.这表明 NCNBs-800有较好的导电性和电化学性质. CV曲线表明 NCNBs-800氧还原的起始电位是-0.05 V (vs Ag/AgCl),氧气的还原电位是0.20 V (vs Ag/AgCl),说明 NCNBs-800具有良好的电化学催化性能.旋转环盘电极仪测得的氧还原极化曲线表明,在-0.3 to-0.8 V下的 NCNBs-800氧还原的电子转移数为3.4,过氧化氢产率为52%-35%,表明 NCNBs-800呈现一个提高的四电子过程.稳定性对于燃料电池氧气还原反应也是一个十分重要的性能,通过计时电流技术在电压为-0.2 V下对 NCNBs-800与 Pt/C进行了稳定性测试.结果表明,在2500 s之后 NCNBs-800相对于它的最初催化活性损失为17.56%,而 Pt/C损失了30.71%,从而说明 NCNBs-800的稳定性优于 Pt/C.总之,我们通过一步热解的简易技术制备了一种氮掺杂纳米碳材料,该碳材料具有廉价、高效和容易制备等特点,具有良好的电化学催化性能,有望在燃料电池氧化还原反应中得到大规模应用.     

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.     

Synthesis of dual-doped non-precious metal electrocatalysts and their electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction

The pyrolyzed carbon supported ferrum polypyrrole(Fe-N/C) catalysts are synthesized with or without selected dopants, p-toluenesulfonic acid(TsOH), by a facile thermal annealing approach at desired temperature for optimizing their activity for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) in O2-saturated 0.1 mol/L KOH solution. The electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry(CV) and rotating disk electrode(RDE) are employed with the Koutecky-Levich theory to quantitatively obtain the ORR kinetic constants and the reaction mechanisms. It is found that catalysts doped with TsOH show significantly improved ORR activity relative to the TsOH-free one. The average electron transfer numbers for the catalyzed ORR are determined to be 3.899 and 3.098, respectively, for the catalysts with and without TsOH-doping. The heat-treatment is found to be a necessary step for catalyst activity improvement, and the catalyst pyrolyzed at 600℃ gives the best ORR activity. An onset potential and the potential at the current density of-1.5 mA/cm2 for TsOH-doped catalyst after pyrolysis are 30 mV and 170 mV, which are more positive than those without pyrolized. Furthermore, the catalyst doped with TsOH shows higher tolerance to methanol compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst in 0.1 mol/L KOH. To understand this TsOH doping and pyrolyzed effect, X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscope(SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) are used to characterize these catalysts in terms of their structure and composition. XPS results indicate that the pyrrolic-N groups are the most active sites, a finding that is supported by the correspondence between changes in pyridinic-N content and ORR activity that occur with changing temperature. Sulfur species are also structurally bound to carbon in the forms of C–Sn–C, an additional beneficial factor for the ORR.     

Metal‐Nitrogen‐doped Porous Carbons Derived from Metal‐Containing Ionic Liquids for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

This study describes a self‐doping and additive‐free strategy for the synthesis of metal‐nitrogen‐doped porous carbon materials (CMs) via carbonizing well‐tailored precursors, metal‐containing ionic liquids (M‐ILs). The organic skeleton in M‐ILs serves as both carbon and nitrogen sources, while metal ions acts as porogen and metallic dopants. A high nitrogen content, appropriate content of metallic species and hierarchical porosity synergistically endow the resultant CMs (MIBA‐M‐T) as effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). MIBA‐Fe‐900 with a high specific surface area of 1567 m² g^?1 exhibits an activity similar to that of Pt/C catalyst, a higher tolerance to methanol than Pt/C, and long‐term durability. This work supplies a simple and convenient route for the preparation of metal‐containing carbon electrocatalysts.