Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction performance of Co@N–C derived from metal-organic frameworks ZIF-67 via a continuous microchannel reactor

Traditional methods of preparing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) compounds have the disadvantages such as poor dispersion, inefficient and discontinuous process. In this work, microchannel reactor is used to prepare MOFs-derived zeolite-imidazole material via flash nanoprecipitation to form ZIF-67 + PEI(FNP), which reduces the MOF synthesis time down to millisecond time interval while keeping the synthesized ZIF-67 + PEI(FNP) highly dispersed. The Co@N–C(FNP)catalyst obtained by flash nanoprecipitation and carbonization has a higher Co content and thus more active sites for oxygen reduction reaction than the Co@N–C(DM) catalyst prepared by direct mixing method. Electrochemical tests show that the Co@N–C(FNP) catalyst prepared by this method has excellent oxygen reduction performance, good methanol resistance and high stability. The onset potential and half-wave potential of Co@N–C(FNP) are 0.92 V_RHE and 0.83 V_RHE, respectively, which are higher than that of Co@N–C(DM) (E_onset = 0.90 V_RHE and E_1/2 = 0.83 V_RHE). Moreover, the Zn-air battery assembled with Co@N–C(FNP) as the cathode catalyst has high open circuit voltage, high power density and large specific capacity. The performance of these batteries has been comparable to that of Pt/C assembled batteries. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the Co (220) crystal plane present in Co@N–C(FNP) have stronger adsorption energy than that of Co (111) crystal plane in Co@N–C(DM), leading to better electrocatalytic performance of the former.     

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...     

Biomass derived Fe-N/C catalyst for efficiently catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction in both alkaline and neutral pH conditions

Fe-N/C is a promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst to substitute the current widely used precious metal platinum. Cost-effectively fabricating the Fe-N/C material with high catalytic activity and getting in-depth insight into the responsible catalytic site are of great significance. In this work, we proposed to use biomass, tea leaves waste, as the precursor to prepare ORR catalyst. By adding 5% FeCl₃ (wt%) into tea precursor, the pyrolysis product (i.e., 5%Fe-N/C) exhibited an excellent four-electron ORR activity, whose onset potential was only 10 mV lower than that of commercial Pt/C. The limiting current density of 5%Fe-N/C (5.75 mA/cm²) was even higher than Pt/C (5.44 mA/cm²). Compared with other biomass or metal organic frameworks derived catalysts, 5%Fe-N/C showed similar ORR activity. Also, both the methanol tolerance and material stability performances of as-prepared 5%Fe-N/C catalyst were superior to that of Pt/C. X-ray adsorption fine structure characterization revealed that the FeN₄O₂ might be the possible catalytic site. An appropriate amount of iron chloride addition not only facilitated catalytic site formation, but also enhanced material conductivity and reaction kinetics. The results of this work may be useful for the Fe based transition metal ORR catalyst design and application.     

Synergistic Enhancement of Electrocatalytic Activity toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Electrolytes with Pentabasic (Fe,B, N,S, P)‐Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide

As alternatives to Pt‐based electrocatalysts, the development of nonprecious metal catalysts with high performance in the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is highly desirable for widespread use in fuel cells. Here we report a simple approach for preparing pentabasic (Fe, B, N, S, P)‐doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via a two‐step doping method of adding boric acid and ferric chloride to ternary (N, S, P)‐doped rGO (NSPG). Electrochemical investigation of the composites for the ORR revealed that simultaneously doping appropriate amounts of Fe and B into the NSPG produced a synergistic effect that endowed the prepared catalyst with both a positively shifted ORR half‐wave potential and high selectivity for the 4e^? reduction of O₂. The optimized Fe₂B‐NSPG catalyst approached a 4e^? process for the ORR with a half‐wave potential (E_1/2=0.90 V vs. RHE) even 30 mV higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline solution. Furthermore, relative to the Pt/C catalyst, the Fe₂B‐NSPG demonstrated superior stability and excellent tolerance of the methanol cross‐over effect. This simple method afforded pentabasic (Fe, B, N, S, P)‐doped rGO as a promising nonprecious metal catalyst used for alkaline fuel cells.     

Platinum nanoparticles supported on nitrobenzene-functionalised graphene nanosheets as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media

A systematic study on the electrocatalytic properties of Pt nanoparticles supported on nitrobenzene-modified graphene (Pt-NB/G) as catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution was performed. Graphene nanosheets were spontaneously grafted with nitrophenyl groups using 4-nitrobenzenediazonium salt. The electrocatalytic activity towards the ORR and stability of the prepared catalysts in 0.1 M KOH solution have been studied and compared with that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The results obtained show that the NB-modified graphene nanosheets can be good Pt catalyst support with high stability and excellent electrocatalytic properties. The specific activity of Pt-NB/G for O₂ reduction was 0.184 mA cm⁻², which is very close to that obtained for commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst (0.214 mA cm⁻²) at 0.9 V vs. RHE. The Pt-NB/G hybrid material promotes a four-electron reduction of oxygen and can be used as a promising cathode catalyst in alkaline fuel cells.     

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.     

Hollow-Structure Pt-Ni Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

An electrocatalyst with high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and high stability during start–stop operation is necessary. In this paper, hollow-structure Pt-Ni electrocatalysts are investigated as ORR catalysts. After synthesis via sacrificial SiO₂ template method, the electrocatalyst exhibits much higher specific activity (1.88 mA/cm²) than a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The mass activity (0.49 A/mg) is 7 times higher than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The kinetics of the ORR is evaluated using Tafel and K-L plots. It also exhibits a higher durability than commercial Pt/C catalyst during accelerated durability test (ADT). Moreover, the electrocatalyst shows good resistance against accelerated durability test for start–stop, the specific activity and mass activity drops 34.6% and 40.8%, respectively, far better than the commercial catalyst.     

Polymer-Assisted Electrophoretic Synthesis of N-Doped Graphene-Polypyrrole Demonstrating Oxygen Reduction with Excellent Methanol Crossover Impact and Durability

The design and synthesis of metal-free catalysts with superior electrocatalytic activity, high durability, low cost, and under mild conditions is extremely desirable but remains challenging. To address this problem, a polymer-assisted electrochemical exfoliation technique of graphite in the presence of an aqueous acidic medium is reported. This simple, cost-effective, and mass-scale production approach could open the possibility for the synthesis of high-quality nitrogen-doped graphene–polypyrrole (NG-PPy). The NG-PPy catalyst displays an improved half wave potential (E_1/2=0.77 V) in alkaline medium compared with G-PPy (E_1/2=0.66 V). Most importantly, this catalyst demonstrates excellent stability with high methanol tolerance, and it outperforms the commercial Pt/C catalyst and other previously reported metal-free catalysts. The content of graphitic nitrogen atoms is the key factor for the enhancement of electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). Interestingly, the NG-PPy catalyst can be used as a cathode material in a zinc–air battery, which demonstrates a higher peak power density (59 mW cm⁻²) than G-PPy (36.6 mW cm⁻²), highlighting the importance of the low-cost material synthesis approach towards the development of metal-free efficient ORR catalysts for fuel cell and metal–air battery applications. Remarkably, the polymer-assisted electrophoretic exfoliation of graphite with a high yield (≈88 wt %) of few-layer graphene flakes could pave the way towards the mass production of high-quality graphene for a variety of applications.     

钴-聚吡咯-碳载Pt催化剂的制备及其单电池性能研究

采用脉冲微波辅助化学还原法制备了钴-聚吡咯-碳载Pt催化剂(Pt/Co-PPy-C),并将其作为阴极催化剂,组装单电池。考察了电池运行温度和氢气/空气计量比对单电池性能的影响,并与商业Pt/C催化剂进行了耐久性实验比较。 结果表明,运行温度为70 ℃,氢气与空气的计量比为1.2:2.5时单电池性能最佳。600 mA/cm²恒电流稳定运行150 h耐久性测试中,以Pt/Co-PPy-C为阴极催化剂的单电池平均电压衰退率为0.119 mV/h,是商业Pt/C催化剂的26%。耐久性测试前后,单电池的阴极电荷传递阻抗为7.176和8.767 Ω,均比商业Pt/C催化剂阻抗小;Pt颗粒粒径从2.46 nm增长到3.18 nm,均小于商业Pt/C催化剂的粒径。这表明,以Pt/Co-PPy-C催化剂为阴极催化剂制备的单电池性能优良,在质子交换膜燃料电池中有广泛的应用前景。     

Isolated Single Iron Atoms Anchored on N-Doped Porous Carbon as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The development of low-cost, efficient, and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is desirable but remains a great challenge. Herein, we made a highly reactive and stable isolated single-atom Fe/N-doped porous carbon (ISA Fe/CN) catalyst with Fe loading up to 2.16 wt %. The catalyst showed excellent ORR performance with a half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.900 V, which outperformed commercial Pt/C and most non-precious-metal catalysts reported to date. Besides exceptionally high kinetic current density (J_k) of 37.83 mV cm⁻² at 0.85 V, it also had a good methanol tolerance and outstanding stability. Experiments demonstrated that maintaining the Fe as isolated atoms and incorporating nitrogen was essential to deliver the high performance. First principle calculations further attributed the high reactivity to the high efficiency of the single Fe atoms in transporting electrons to the adsorbed OH species.     

S‐Doping of an Fe/N/C ORR Catalyst for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with High Power Density

Fe/N/C is a promising non‐Pt electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but its catalytic activity is considerably inferior to that of Pt in acidic medium, the environment of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). An improved Fe/N/C catalyst (denoted as Fe/N/C‐SCN) derived from Fe(SCN)₃, poly‐m‐phenylenediamine, and carbon black is presented. The advantage of using Fe(SCN)₃ as iron source is that the obtained catalyst has a high level of S doping and high surface area, and thus exhibits excellent ORR activity (23 A g^?1 at 0.80 V) in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solution. When the Fe/N/C‐SCN was applied in a PEMFC as cathode catalyst, the maximal power density could exceed 1 W cm^?2.     

Ni3FeN‐Supported Fe3Pt Intermetallic Nanoalloy as a High‐Performance Bifunctional Catalyst for Metal–Air Batteries

Electrocatalysts for both the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) are vital for the performances of rechargeable metal–air batteries. Herein, we report an advanced bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst consisting of porous metallic nickel‐iron nitride (Ni₃FeN) supporting ordered Fe₃Pt intermetallic nanoalloy. In this hybrid catalyst, the bimetallic nitride Ni₃FeN mainly contributes to the high activity for the OER while the ordered Fe₃Pt nanoalloy contributes to the excellent activity for the ORR. Robust Ni₃FeN‐supported Fe₃Pt catalysts show superior catalytic performance to the state‐of‐the‐art ORR catalyst (Pt/C) and OER catalyst (Ir/C). The Fe₃Pt/Ni₃FeN bifunctional catalyst enables Zn–air batteries to achieve a long‐term cycling performance of over 480 h at 10 mA cm⁻² with high efficiency. The extraordinarily high performance of the Fe₃Pt/Ni₃FeN bifunctional catalyst makes it a very promising air cathode in alkaline electrolyte.     

Integrated Ultrafine Co0.85Se in Carbon Nanofibers: An Efficient and Robust Bifunctional Catalyst for Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Transition-metal selenides are emerging as alternative bifunctional catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); however, their activity and stability are still less than desirable. Herein, ultrafine Co_0.85Se nanoparticles encapsulated into carbon nanofibers (CNFs), Co_0.85Se@CNFs, is reported as an integrated bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR. This catalyst exhibits a low OER potential of 1.58 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) (E_{J=10, OER}) to achieve a current density (J) of 10 mA cm⁻² and a high ORR potential of 0.84 V vs. RHE (E_{J=−1, ORR}) to reach −1 mA cm⁻². Thus, the potential between E_{J=10, OER} and E_{J=−1, ORR} is only 0.74 V, indicating considerable bifunctional activity. The excellent bifunctionality can be attributed to high electronic conduction, abundant electrochemically active sites, and the synergistic effect of Co_0.85Se and CNFs. Furthermore, this Co_0.85Se@CNFs catalyst displays good cycling stability for both OER and ORR. This study paves a new way for the rational design of hybrid catalysts composed of transition-metal selenides and carbon materials for efficiently catalyzing OER and ORR.     

Fe3C coupled with Fe-Nx supported on N-doped carbon as oxygen reduction catalyst for assembling Zn-air battery to drive water splitting

Fe-N-C structures have been considered as a candidate to replace noble metal catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their excellent electrocatalytic activity and durability. Herein, a zinc-mediated synthesis strategy is proposed for N-doped graphitic porous carbon encapsulated uniform dispersed Fe₃C nanoparticles coupled with atomically dispersed Fe-N_x moieties (NPC/Fe-N-C) derived from biomass coconut shell. The introduction of zinc species could be conductive to the dispersion of iron species and formation of porous structures. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the N-doped carbon coating structures can weaken the oxygen intermediates adsorption energy barrier of Fe₃C. Beside, the graphitic carbon could promote the electron transfer during the electrochemical reaction. These special structures enable NPC/Fe-N-C to have excellent ORR activity with an E_onset of 1.0 V, which is much better than Pt/C. Furthermore, the zinc-air battery assembled by pairing NPC/Fe-N-C with a high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst can continuously and stably operate a charge-discharge potential gap of 0.8 V at 10 mA/cm² for more than 600 h. More importantly, the assembled batteries could drive overall water splitting device, realizing the effective energy conversion.     

In situ constructing of ultrastable ceramic@graphene core-shell architectures as advanced metal catalyst supports toward oxygen reduction

The changeable structure of 2 D graphene nanosheets makes the Pt-based nanoparticles(NPs) possess a low efficiency toward oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and a short lifetime for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Thus, a unique Ti C@graphene core-shell structure material with low surface energy is designed and prepared by an in situ forming strategy, and firstly applied as a stable support of Pt NPs.The as-prepared Pt/GNS@Ti C catalyst presents a high activity. Especially, its ORR stability is remarkably improved. Even after 15000 potential cycles, the half-wave potential and mass activity toward ORR have almost no change. This can be attributed to that the graphene nanosheet existing in a sphere shape effectively avoids the restacking or folding caused by the giant surface tension in 2 D graphene nanosheets,impeding the decrease of the triple-phase boundary on Pt NPs. Significantly, the power density of fuel cells with our novel catalyst reaches 853 m V cm~(–2) under a low Pt loading(0.25 mg Pt cm~(–2)) and H_2/Air conditions. These indicate the new ceramic@graphene core-shell nanocomposite is a promising application in fuel cells and other fields.     

A Universal and Facile Way for the Development of Superior Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions Utilizing the Synergistic Effect

Increasing energy demands have stimulated intense research activities on reversible electrochemical conversion and storage systems with high efficiency, low cost, and environmental benignity. It is highly challenging but desirable to develop efficient bifunctional catalysts for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). A universal and facile method for the development of bifunctional electrocatalysts with outstanding electrocatalytic activity for both the ORR and OER in alkaline medium is reported. A mixture of Pt/C catalyst with superior ORR activity and a perovskite oxide based catalyst with outstanding OER activity was employed in appropriate ratios, and prepared by simple ultrasonic mixing. Nanosized platinum particles with a wide range of platinum to oxide mass ratios was realized easily in this way. The as‐formed Pt/C–oxide composites showed better ORR activity than a single Pt/C catalyst and better OER activity than a single oxide to bring about much improved bifunctionality (ΔE is only ≈0.8 V for Pt/C–BSCF; BSCF=Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3?δ), due to the synergistic effect. The electronic transfer mechanism and the rate‐determining step and spillover mechanism were two possible origins of such a synergistic effect. Additionally, the phenomenon was found to be universal, although the best performance could be reached at different platinum to oxide mass ratios for different oxide catalysts. This work thus provides an innovative strategy for the development of new bifunctional electrocatalysts with wide application potentials in high‐energy and efficient electrochemical energy storage and conversion.     

MnO/N-Doped Mesoporous Carbon as Advanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalyst for Zinc–Air Batteries

The development of alternative electrocatalysts exhibiting high activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is vital for the deployment of large-scale clean energy devices, such as fuel cells and zinc–air batteries. N-doped carbon materials offer a promising platform for the design and synthesis of electrocatalysts due to their high ORR activity, high surface area, and tunable porosity. In this study, materials in which MnO nanoparticles are entrapped in N-doped mesoporous carbon (MnO/NC) were developed as electrocatalysts for the ORR, and their performances were evaluated in zinc–air batteries. The obtained carbon materials had large surface area and high electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR. The carbon compounds were fabricated by using NaCl as template in a one-pot process, which significantly simplifies the procedure for preparing mesoporous carbon materials and in turn reduces the total cost. A primary zinc–air battery based on this material exhibits an open-circuit voltage of 1.49 V, which is higher than that of conventional zinc–air batteries with Pt/C (Pt/C cell) as ORR catalyst (1.41 V). The assembled zinc–air battery delivered a peak power density of 168 mW cm⁻² at a current density of about 200 mA cm⁻², which is higher than that of an equivalent Pt/C cell (151 mW cm⁻² at a current density of ca. 200 mA cm⁻²). The electrocatalytic data revealed that MnO/NC is a promising nonprecious-metal ORR catalyst for practical applications in metal–air batteries.     

Carbon‐Supported Divacancy‐Anchored Platinum Single‐Atom Electrocatalysts with Superhigh Pt Utilization for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Maximizing the platinum utilization in electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is very desirable for large‐scale sustainable application of Pt in energy systems. A cost‐effective carbon‐supported carbon‐defect‐anchored platinum single‐atom electrocatalysts (Pt₁/C) with remarkable ORR performance is reported. An acidic H₂/O₂ single cell with Pt₁/C as cathode delivers a maximum power density of 520 mW cm^?2 at 80 °C, corresponding to a superhigh platinum utilization of 0.09 g_Pt kW^?1. Further physical characterization and density functional theory computations reveal that single Pt atoms anchored stably by four carbon atoms in carbon divacancies (Pt‐C₄) are the main active centers for the observed high ORR performance.     

Graphitic C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>@MWCNTs supported Mn<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> as a novel electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in zinc–air batteries

A series of catalysts (g-C₃N₄@MWCNTs/Mn₃O₄) were prepared from g-C₃N₄, MWCNTs, and Mn₃O₄ for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in zinc–air batteries. From the half-cell tests, the loading of 35 % Mn₃O₄ (sample GMM35) presents an excellent activity toward ORR in alkaline condition. Rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) studies reveal that 3.6～3.8 electrons are transferred with a H₂O₂ yield of 11.4 % at ?0.4 V. Meanwhile, the GMM35 nanocomposite exhibits the same durability as commercial 20 wt% Pt/C in alkaline condition, but it shows lower peak power density (192.4 mW cm^?2 at 229.1 mA cm^?2) and cell voltage than those with a commercial Pt/C catalyst (260.9 mW cm^?2 at 285.4 mA cm^?2).     

高耐甲醇性和稳定性的纳米复合阴极催化剂

报导了一种由酞菁氧钛、铂金属纳米簇和氮杂化碳纳米角结构基元组装而成的新型纳米复合电化学催化剂(TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH)的制备、表征及电催化性能. 在TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH催化剂中, 氮杂化碳纳米角堆积形成多孔导电网络, 铂纳粒子均匀地分散于上述多孔导电网络中, 部分铂纳粒子与TiOPc微晶直接接触. 在甲醇存在的条件下, TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH对氧还原反应表现出高催化活性和优良的选择性与稳定性. 在甲醇浓度为0.5 mol·L^-1的高氯酸水溶液中, TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH催化氧还原反应的起始电位比商购Pt/C-JM催化剂提高了260 mV, 其质量活性和比活性(0.85 V (参比电极为可逆氢电极(RHE)))分别为83.5 A·g^-1和0.294 mA·cm^-2, 远高于Pt/C-JM催化剂. 在含氧气氛下, 于甲醇高氯酸水溶液中, 对TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH和TiOPc-Pt/C催化剂进行了循环伏安法加速老化实验研究(0.6-1.0 V, 15000个循环), 结果表明TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH具有更高的稳定性. TiOPc-Pt/NCNH催化剂的高耐醇性可能得益于由TiOPc微晶向Pt纳米粒子的电子转移, 其高稳定性主要得益于氮杂化碳纳米角的高石墨化程度及纳米角堆积而成网络结构.