负载酞菁铁的氮掺杂中空碳球的电催化氧还原性能（英文）

开发低成本、高性能的氧还原反应（ORR）催化剂是当前的研究热点.虽然酞菁铁（FePc）在几十年前就被证明能高效地电催化氧还原反应,但由于其电子传导性和稳定性较差,无法取代商用的Pt/C催化剂.氮掺杂碳材料不仅化学性质稳定、电子传导性好,还有一定的氧还原催化活性.本文首先制备了聚苯乙烯@聚多巴胺球前驱体,经过高温碳化后制得了氮掺杂中空碳球,进而负载酞菁铁后制备了负载酞菁铁的氮掺杂中空碳球复合材料（FePc-NHCS）.通过调整煅烧温度和酞菁铁的负载量,可进一步调控FePc-NHCS的多孔结构、石墨化程度、氮掺杂的种类与含量及酞菁铁的负载状态.优化后的FePc-NHCS在碱性电解质中显示出优异的ORR催化活性,其半波电位和稳定性均高于商用Pt/C催化剂.研究结果表明,掺杂与复合是增强单项催化组分活性的有效途径.此外,通过调控催化剂的结构和组分也能有效地优化催化剂的氧化还原性能.     

单源MOF衍生具有三维有序大孔结构的氮掺杂碳包覆铁-氮合金复合材料用于高效氧还原

氧还原反应在一些能源转换系统如金属-空气电池中起着至关重要的作用.目前贵金属基材料(Pt/C)被认为是最有效的氧还原电催化剂,然而价格昂贵和储量有限等因素限制了它的商业化应用,因此探索高效的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂具有重要的意义.近年来,负载过渡金属铁的多孔碳催化剂由于独特的结构和优异的氧还原催化活性成为替代铂基催化剂最有潜力的候选者.该类材料的合成通常采用直接煅烧含有氮源、碳源和铁盐的混合前驱体的制备方法,但是热解时材料的多孔结构以及活性位点的均匀分布很难得到有效的控制.近年来,金属有机框架(MOFs)由于其多孔结构和组成可控等优点而经常被用作自牺牲模板来制备负载铁基纳米材料的多孔碳催化剂,并表现出优异的电催化活性.目前以MOF为前驱体制备高活性的载铁氮掺杂碳复合材料通常需要引入额外的氮源或铁源,因此选择氮含量丰富的铁基MOF材料作为单源前驱体制备载铁氮掺杂多孔碳复合材料具有重要的意义.除此之外,具有多级孔隙率的催化剂可以改善反应时的传质过程,同时有序交联的网络结构能够提供连续的电子传输.本文报道了一种简单可控的制备具有三维有序大孔结构的载铁氮掺杂多孔碳复合催化剂的合成方法,该材料表现出优异的电催化氧气还原性能和优异的催化稳定性.首先,以氮含量丰富的双氰胺和吡嗪配体所构筑的Fe-MOF作为前驱体,利用具有均一尺寸的聚苯乙烯微球作为造孔剂,合成得到了具有三维有序大孔结构的Fe-MOF前驱体,然后通过高温煅烧该单源前驱体制备得到具有三维有序大孔结构的氮掺杂多孔碳包覆铁-氮合金的复合型催化剂(3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC).扫描电镜和透射电镜结果表明,材料内形成了有序交联的大孔结构;氮气吸附测试表明,刻蚀之后材料的比表面积明显增加,结合分级多孔特性可以共同促进催化反应的传质过程.粉末X射线衍射结果证实了多孔碳材料中铁和铁-氮合金物种的成功合成.电化学测试结果表明,在0.1 M KOH电解液中,3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC-800催化剂表现出优于Pt/C的氧还原活性,其半波电位(E_1/2)为0.88 V,大于商业Pt/C的半波电位(E_1/2=0.85 V).同时,3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC-800表现出更加优异的稳定性,经过20000 s测试后,其电流保持率为94%,而Pt/C只保持了78%.关于活性位点探究的对比实验证明在所制备的复合材料中,铁物种作为高效的活性位点参与了电催化氧还原反应,与氮掺杂多孔碳之间的协同作用共同主导了3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC优异的氧还原活性.得益于其优异的氧还原活性,将其作为阴极活性材料组装为锌-空气电池进一步探究了其在实际应用中的可行性.本结果拓宽了高效的铁基催化剂的类型,同时也为制备封装非贵金属的多孔碳基催化剂提供了实验指导和理论依据.     

通过铁掺杂和造孔提高氮掺杂石墨烯/碳纳米管复合物电催化氧还原性能的研究（英文）

氧还原反应催化剂的性能直接影响着能源转换和存储器件如燃料电池和金属-空气电池的性能. 开发低成本、高性能的非铂族金属氧还原催化剂对于这类器件的实际应用和商业化十分重要,因此备受关注. 氮掺杂的石墨烯/碳纳米管复合物同时具备碳纳米管的良好导电性能和有利于传质的三维网络结构优点,以及氮掺杂石墨烯的高活性优点,因此有望发展为这类可替代铂族催化剂的氧还原电催化剂之一,但目前其催化性能还需进一步提高. 本文研究发现通过在氮掺杂石墨烯/碳纳米管复合物的过程中引入铁元素可以有效提高催化剂的氧还原活性,并且发现通过在热处理和氮掺杂过程中加入二氧化硅纳米颗粒及随后除去二氧化硅,可以在氮掺杂的石墨烯/碳纳米管复合物材料中有效地形成多孔结构. 这种多孔结构的形成不仅可以在复合物中引入更多的高活性催化位点,而且有利于暴露更多的催化活性位并促进氧还原反应中的传质过程. 结合碳纳米管、石墨烯和多孔结构的三者优点,所制备的多孔氮掺杂碳材料表现出优异的电催化氧还原性能. 进一步的实验表明,这类材料还表现出优异的抗甲醇中毒能力和良好的稳定性,因此在性能改进后有望用于燃料电池等能量转换与存储器件.     

Ya‐Ru Lv,Xue‐Jing Zhai,Shan Wang,Hong Xu,Rui Wang #, Shuang‐Quan Zang

氧还原反应在一些能源转换系统如金属-空气电池中起着至关重要的作用.目前贵金属基材料(Pt/C)被认为是最有效的氧还原电催化剂,然而价格昂贵和储量有限等因素限制了它的商业化应用,因此探索高效的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂具有重要的意义.近年来,负载过渡金属铁的多孔碳催化剂由于独特的结构和优异的氧还原催化活性成为替代铂基催化剂最有潜力的候选者.该类材料的合成通常采用直接煅烧含有氮源、碳源和铁盐的混合前驱体的制备方法,但是热解时材料的多孔结构以及活性位点的均匀分布很难得到有效的控制.近年来,金属有机框架(MOFs)由于其多孔结构和组成可控等优点而经常被用作自牺牲模板来制备负载铁基纳米材料的多孔碳催化剂,并表现出优异的电催化活性.目前以MOF为前驱体制备高活性的载铁氮掺杂碳复合材料通常需要引入额外的氮源或铁源,因此选择氮含量丰富的铁基MOF材料作为单源前驱体制备载铁氮掺杂多孔碳复合材料具有重要的意义.除此之外,具有多级孔隙率的催化剂可以改善反应时的传质过程,同时有序交联的网络结构能够提供连续的电子传输.本文报道了一种简单可控的制备具有三维有序大孔结构的载铁氮掺杂多孔碳复合催化剂的合成方法,该材料表现出优异的电催化氧气还原性能和优异的催化稳定性.首先,以氮含量丰富的双氰胺和吡嗪配体所构筑的Fe-MOF作为前驱体,利用具有均一尺寸的聚苯乙烯微球作为造孔剂,合成得到了具有三维有序大孔结构的Fe-MOF前驱体,然后通过高温煅烧该单源前驱体制备得到具有三维有序大孔结构的氮掺杂多孔碳包覆铁-氮合金的复合型催化剂(3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC).扫描电镜和透射电镜结果表明,材料内形成了有序交联的大孔结构;氮气吸附测试表明,刻蚀之后材料的比表面积明显增加,结合分级多孔特性可以共同促进催化反应的传质过程.粉末X射线衍射结果证实了多孔碳材料中铁和铁-氮合金物种的成功合成.电化学测试结果表明,在0.1 MKOH电解液中, 3DOMFe/Fe-NA@NC-800催化剂表现出优于Pt/C的氧还原活性,其半波电位(E1/2)为0.88 V,大于商业Pt/C的半波电位(E1/2=0.85 V).同时, 3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC-800表现出更加优异的稳定性,经过20000 s测试后,其电流保持率为94%,而Pt/C只保持了78%.关于活性位点探究的对比实验证明在所制备的复合材料中,铁物种作为高效的活性位点参与了电催化氧还原反应,与氮掺杂多孔碳之间的协同作用共同主导了3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC优异的氧还原活性.得益于其优异的氧还原活性,将其作为阴极活性材料组装为锌-空气电池进一步探究了其在实际应用中的可行性.本结果拓宽了高效的铁基催化剂的类型,同时也为制备封装非贵金属的多孔碳基催化剂提供了实验指导和理论依据.     

过渡金属/氮掺杂石墨的制备及电催化氧还原

用简单的化学方法制备了过渡金属(TM)壳聚糖水杨醛席夫碱配合物,然后以此配合物为金属源和N源、以硝酸预处理石墨为载体,经热处理后制备了过渡金属/氮掺杂石墨催化剂TM-N-C-t(TM=Co,Ni,Cu;t=200,400,600,800,1 000℃).以此催化剂为修饰剂制备了玻碳修饰电极,并用循环伏安法(CV)和旋转圆盘电极(RDE)伏安法研究了催化剂TM-N-C-t的电化学行为和电催化氧还原(ORR)的催化性能,催化剂的组成和结构采用TG,FT-IR,XRD,XPS等技术进行了表征.研究结果表明,催化剂TM-N-C-t对ORR均显示不同程度的催化活性,其中以1 000℃热处理的钴基催化剂Co-N-C-1000的催化活性最好,其活性已接近相同条件下的商用催化剂JM 20%Pt/C,催化活性位主要为Co—N—C.根据扩散控制的不可逆反应的循环伏安行为,计算得到了TM-N-C-t催化剂电催化ORR的动力学参数,并以此提出了氧还原催化反应的机理,在活性最好的催化剂Co-N-C-1000修饰电极上,氧气以4e转移途径被还原为水.     

非贵金属钴、氮共掺杂碳纳米管负载纸衍生多孔碳电催化剂的制备及其氧还原性能研究（英文）

燃料电池可以直接将化学能转化为电能,是一种极具前景的能量转换设备.目前,铂碳是燃料电池阴极氧还原反应(ORR)常用催化剂,但是铂储量低、价格昂贵、稳定性差且容易受CO毒化,极大地限制了其在燃料电池商业化中的应用.因此,探索价格低廉、性能优越的非贵金属氧还原催化剂显得尤为重要.大量研究发现,碳基材料具有优越的氧还原性能和良好的电化学稳定性.同时,自然界的生物质种类丰富,是很好的碳基材料来源.本文选取日常生活中最常见的富碳生物质废纸作为碳源,二氰二胺和乙酰丙酮钴分别作为氮源和钴源,经过特定气氛下的梯度升温制得非贵金属钴、氮共掺杂碳纳米管负载多孔碳氧还原催化剂(Co/N/CNT@PC-800).考察了杂原子N掺杂、过渡金属Co掺杂对材料形貌和性能的影响,采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼(Raman)光谱、氮气吸附-脱附和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等表征方法探究了Co/N/CNT@PC-800材料的组成与结构,通过循环伏安法(CV)以及线性扫描伏安法(LSV)等电化学测试探究了其氧还原反应性能.SEM和TEM结果表明,Co/N/CNT@PC-800材料为表面生长着大量碳纳米管的多孔碳结构.这是因为二氰二胺和钴引入后,钴催化二氰二胺转化成碳纳米管.金属纳米粒子被封装在碳层之间和碳纳米管中而得到有效的保护,使之不易被酸腐蚀.同时,Co和N元素可以形成更多的活性位点(Co–Nx),增强材料ORR活性.SEM和氮气吸附-脱附结果显示,掺杂Co后,材料的介孔结构会进一步增加,形成微孔/介孔结构.多孔结构可以增强ORR相关物质(O2,H+,OH.,H2O)的传质速率,提升反应速率,达到增强ORR活性的效果.除此之外,多孔的结构也可以促进活性位点的暴露,进而提升材料的ORR性能.XPS结果显示,Co/N/CNT@PC-800材料中N主要以吡啶氮和石墨氮两种形式存在,而这两种类型的氮有利于促进ORR的进行.Raman光谱结果显示,在引入N和Co元素后,材料的缺陷结构有所增加,因而有利于电催化氧还原反应性能的提升.另外,LSV测试结果表明,在引入Co或者N后,材料催化ORR的起始电位、半波电位、极限电流密度均有小幅改善;同时引入Co和N后,Co/N/CNT@PC-800材料催化ORR的起始电位(0.005 V vs.Ag/AgCl)、半波电位(.0.173 V vs.Ag/AgCl)、极限电流密度(.4.117 mA cm.2)均有较大幅度的改善.通过Koutecky-Levich(K-L)方程计算以及旋转环盘电极测得的氧还原极化曲线结果均表明,Co/N/CNT@PC-800材料的氧还原反应是通过准四电子反应转移路径进行.此外,循环(3000圈CV)稳定性测试结果证明,Co/N/CNT@PC-800材料比商业化的Pt/C具有更好的稳定性.总之,本文采用简单的梯度升温法制备出非贵金属钴、氮共掺杂的碳基氧还原催化剂(Co/N/CNT@PC-800),为探索利用生物质制备电催化剂用于燃料电池提供了一种可供选择的途径.     

钴/氮掺杂碳催化剂及其氧还原催化机理研究

以尿素做氮源、醋酸钴做金属源,用湿法合并高温热处理法合成了钴/氮共掺杂碳的非贵金属氧还原催化剂Co-N/C-T. 采用循环伏安（CV）法和线性扫描法（LSV）探究了氮源和金属源用量以及热处理温度对氧还原反应电催化活性的影响,活性最好的催化剂Co_0.13-N_0.3/C-800的峰电位达到0.829 V（vs.RHE）,接近商用Pt/C的活性,但比商用Pt/C有更好的耐甲醇性和稳定性. 同时,采用SEM,TEM,BET,XRD和XPS方法表征了催化剂结构和组分特征,并提出催化剂可能的电催化活性氧还原反应机理.     

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.     

镍氮掺杂石墨炔用作高效氧还原电催化剂

氧还原反应是燃料电池中至关重要的一环。常规的氧还原反应催化剂是贵金属铂,但鉴于铂的高成本,研究者希望寻找一种低成本的替代催化剂,它更便宜并且具有相当于铂的催化效果。在前期研究中,已经对铁氮共掺杂石墨炔和钴氮共掺杂石墨炔进行了研究,它们均表现出了高效的氧还原反应活性,而与之具有相似电子结构的金属镍尚未研究。因此,此工作以氢取代石墨炔为基底,设计并合成了多种镍氮掺杂的石墨炔电催化剂,并进行了氧还原电化学测试,其中,镍质量分数2%并加入三聚氰胺进行烧制的镍氮掺杂石墨炔催化剂表现出最佳的氧还原电催化性能。对催化剂进行了一系列的物理表征：X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）,进一步分析了其结构和形貌。从物理表征及电化学测试结果可以看出,氮原子是构建催化活性位点的关键,而镍原子在提高催化剂性能方面起着至关重要的作用,氮和镍的协同作用使得镍氮掺杂石墨炔催化剂表现出优异的催化性能,这使其具有良好的应用前景。     

高分散钴氮共掺杂碳纳米纤维氧还原催化剂

过渡金属氮掺杂碳基催化剂已成为替代铂基氧还原反应(ORR)电催化剂的理想选择。本文通过静电纺丝技术制备了高比表面、高度分散的钴原子配位氮掺杂的碳纳米纤维催化剂(Co-N/C)。X射线衍射(XRD)和高分辨率透射电镜(HRTEM)结果证实Co元素高度分散于制备的Co-N/C催化剂中。X射线光电子能谱结果表明N元素主要以吡啶N和石墨N形式存在。该Co-N/C催化剂对ORR反应呈现出较高的电催化活性,其氧还原起始和半波电位分别为0.92 V和0.80 V(相对于标准氢电极),接近于商业化Pt/C催化剂的性能。以制备的Co-N/C催化剂作为阴极,25℃下锌空气燃料电池的开路电位1.54 V、最大功率密度达到了190 m V·cm~(-2)表明该催化剂具有良好的应用前景。     

片状碳载金属纳米颗粒复合物的制备及其氧还原电活性

将双氰胺、蔗糖与酞菁铁(钴)的混合物通过简单热解法,制备出Co/C-N、Fe/C-N和Fe-Co/C-N纳米复合物。随后利用热还原法,将少量铂沉积于Co/C-N上得到片状碳负载的Co-Pt纳米颗粒Co-Pt/C-N。对样品进行了详细表征,并研究了其在全域pH范围内(酸性、中性与碱性溶液)中的氧还原反应(ORR)活性。结果表明,Co/C-N具有比Fe/C-N和Fe-Co/C-N更高的ORR起始电位和半波电位,并且在碱性和中性溶液中,Co/C-N表现出比Pt/C更强的ORR电活性;在酸性溶液中,铂负载量(质量分数)8.1%的Co-Pt/C-N表现出与Pt/C相近的ORR起始与半波电位。催化剂优异的电活性主要归因于片状碳形成的三维结构、金属纳米颗粒的均匀分布以及丰富的吡啶氮。     

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.     

原子层沉积制备掺氮碳膜修饰的 Pt/CNTs 实现甲醇高效电催化氧化

甲醇燃料电池作为一种清洁、高效的能源转化形式广受关注. 贵金属 Pt 是甲醇燃料电池阳极催化剂不可缺少的活性组分, 但 Pt 价格昂贵, 易与 CO 等中间体强相互作用而中毒失活, 从而限制了甲醇燃料电池的广泛应用. 因此, 如何提高Pt 的利用率成为一个关键问题. 研究表明, 在碳材料载体中掺杂氮元素, 改变了载体本身的表面结构和电子性质, 有利于Pt 颗粒的成核和生长, 可获得尺寸小、分布均匀的 Pt 纳米颗粒, 能显著提升催化反应活性和 Pt 利用率. 然而, 传统的氮掺杂方法需要在高温、高压及氨气条件下进行, 增加了催化剂制备难度和成本.原子层沉积技术是逐层超薄沉积技术, 能够在原子级别精确控制膜的厚度, 既可制备尺度均一、高度可控的纳米粒子,也能实现材料表面的可控超薄修饰. 本课题组利用原子层沉积技术优势, 首先在碳纳米管表面沉积了直径 2 nm 左右的 Pt纳米颗粒, 然后在 Pt 纳米颗粒外表面超薄修饰聚酰亚胺膜, 通过后处理得到多孔掺氮碳膜修饰的 Pt/CNTs 催化剂. 碳膜的厚度可简单通过调控聚酰亚胺膜的沉积厚度来控制. 结果表明, 适当厚度的碳膜修饰 Pt/CNTs 催化剂可显著提升其甲醇电氧化性能, 电流密度可达商业 20% Pt/C 的 2.7 倍, 催化剂稳定性也显著改善. 然而碳膜修饰过厚会导致催化剂活性降低.通过计算催化剂电化学活性表面积发现, 超薄修饰碳膜后催化剂活性表面积有所降低, 这是由于碳膜的覆盖导致表面 Pt原子数减少. 修饰前后催化剂颗粒尺度变化不大, 推测催化剂活性的提高与形成了有利于催化反应的 Pt-碳膜界面有关.然而, 当碳膜修饰层过厚时, 会导致反应物分子难以扩散到 Pt 颗粒表面, 使催化剂活性降低. 预吸附单层 CO 溶出实验结果表明, 多孔掺氮碳膜超薄修饰 Pt/CNTs 催化剂后, CO 氧化峰的起始电位和峰值电位都向低电位处偏移, 这表明 Pt 表面吸附的 CO 在较低电位下即可被氧化, CO 更容易从 Pt 表面移除, 从而提高了催化剂的抗 CO 毒化能力. X 射线光电子能谱实验结果进一步表明, 经多孔掺氮碳膜修饰后, Pt 的 4f 电子向高结合能处偏移, 表明 Pt 原子周围的电子密度减小, 从而弱化了 Pt 对 CO 吸附的σ-π键反馈作用, 即减弱了 Pt 原子对 CO 的吸附, 这是导致掺氮碳膜修饰后催化剂活性及稳定性都大幅提高的原因.     

Covalent hybrid of spinel manganese-cobalt oxide and graphene as advanced oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

Through direct nanoparticle nucleation and growth on nitrogen doped, reduced graphene oxide sheets and cation substitution of spinel Co(3)O(4) nanoparticles, a manganese-cobalt spinel MnCo(2)O(4)/graphene hybrid was developed as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline conditions. Electrochemical and X-ray near-edge structure (XANES) investigations revealed that the nucleation and growth method for forming inorganic-nanocarbon hybrids results in covalent coupling between spinel oxide nanoparticles and N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rmGO) sheets. Carbon K-edge and nitrogen K-edge XANES showed strongly perturbed C-O and C-N bonding in the N-rmGO sheet, suggesting the formation of C-O-metal and C-N-metal bonds between N-doped graphene oxide and spinel oxide nanoparticles. Co L-edge and Mn L-edge XANES suggested substitution of Co(3+) sites by Mn(3+), which increased the activity of the catalytic sites in the hybrid materials, further boosting the ORR activity compared with the pure cobalt oxide hybrid. The covalently bonded hybrid afforded much greater activity and durability than the physical mixture of nanoparticles and carbon materials including N-rmGO. At the same mass loading, the MnCo(2)O(4)/N-graphene hybrid can outperform Pt/C in ORR current density at medium overpotentials with stability superior to Pt/C in alkaline solutions.     

Paper-derived cobalt and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanotube@porous carbon as a nonprecious metal electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a vitally important process in fuel cells. The development of high-performance and low-cost ORR electrocatalysts with outstanding stability is essential for the commercialization of the electrochemical energy technology. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of cobalt (Co) and nitrogen (N) co-doped carbon nanotube@porous carbon (Co/N/CNT@PC-800) electrocatalyst through a one-step pyrolysis of waste paper, dicyandiamide, and cobalt(II) acetylacetonate. The surface of the hierarchical porous carbon supported a large number of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which were derived from dicyandiamide through the catalysis of Co. The addition of Co resulted in the formation of a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure, which was beneficial for the exposure of active sites and rapid transportation of ORR-relevant species (O₂, H⁺, OH^?, and H₂O). The doped N and Co formed more active sites to enhance the ORR activity of the electrocatalyst. The Co/N/CNT@PC-800 material exhibited optimal ORR performance with an onset potential of 0.005 V vs. Ag/AgCl and a half-wave potential of –0.173 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Meanwhile, the electrocatalyst showed an excellent methanol tolerance and a long-term operational durability than that of Pt/C, as well as a quasi-four-electron reaction pathway. The low-cost and simple synthesis approach makes the Co/N/CNT@PC-800 a prospective electrocatalyst for the ORR. Furthermore, this work provides an alternative approach for exploring the use of biomass-derived electrocatalysts for renewable energy applications.     

Sulfur-Induced Growth of Coordination Polymer Derived-Straight Carbon Nanotubes on Carbon Nanofiber Network for Zn-Air Batteries

Low-cost heteroatom-doped carbon nanomaterials have been widely studied for efficient oxygen reduction reaction and energy storage and conversion in metal-air batteries. A Masson pine twigs-like 3-dimensional network construction of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with abundant straight long Co, N, and S-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is developed by thermal treatment of Co-based polymer coated onto polyacrylonitrile nanofiber network together with thiourea at 900 °C, denoted as CNFT-Co₉S₈-900. It is interesting to note that the introduction of a high concentration of sulfur does not lead to the complete toxicity of catalysts, but promotes the axial growth to selectively form straight CNTs instead of curly bamboo-like CNTs. The highly graphitized in-situ grown Co, N, S-doped CNTs and the 3-dimensional N-doped CNF network provide both active catalytic sites and highly conductive paths, which are beneficial for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Thus, the optimal CNFT-Co₉S₈-900 performs the excellent ORR catalytic activity with a half-wave potential of 0.84 V and a diffusion-limited current density of 5.49 mA cm⁻². Furthermore, the CNFT-Co₉S₈-900-based Zn-air devices also possess a high power density of 136.9 mW cm⁻² better than commercial Pt/C.     

以金属有机骨架为前驱体的高活性氧还原非贵金属催化剂制备

The development of a non‐precious metal electrocatalyst (NPME) with a performance superior to commercial Pt/C for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for the commercialization of fuel cells. We report the synthesis of a NPME by heat‐treating Co‐based metal organic frameworks (ZIF‐67) with a small average size of 44 nm. The electrocatalyst pyrolyzed at 600 °C showed the best performance and the performance was enhanced when it was supported on BP 2000. The resulting electrocatalyst was composed of 10 nm Co nanoparticles coated by 3–12 layers of N doped graphite layers which as a whole was embedded in a carbon matrix. The ORR performance of the electrocatalyst was tested by rotating disk electrode tests in O2‐saturated 0.1 mol/L KOH under ambient conditions. The electrocatalyst (1.0 mg/cm2) showed an onset potential of 1.017 V (vs. RHE) and a half‐wave potential of 0.857 V (vs. RHE), which showed it was as good as the commer‐cial Pt/C (20μgPt/cm2). Furthermore, the electrocatalyst possessed much better stability and re‐sistance to methanol crossover than Pt/C.     

Bamboo‐Like Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes with Co Nanoparticles Encapsulated at the Tips: Uniform and Large‐Scale Synthesis and High‐Performance Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

In recent years, various non‐precious metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been extensively investigated. The development of an efficient and simple method to synthesize non‐precious metal catalysts with ORR activity superior to that of Pt is extremely significant for large‐scale applications of fuel cells. Here, we develop a facile, low‐cost, and large‐scale synthesis method for uniform nitrogen‐doped (N‐doped) bamboo‐like CNTs (NBCNT) with Co nanoparticles encapsulated at the tips by annealing a mixture of cobalt acetate and melamine. The uniform NBCNT shows better ORR catalytic activity and higher stability in alkaline solutions as compared with commercial Pt/C and comparable catalytic activity to Pt/C in acidic media. NBCNTs exhibit outstanding ORR catalytic activity due to high defect density, uniform bamboo‐like structure, and the synergistic effect between the Co nanoparticles and protective graphitic layers. This facile method to synthesize catalysts, which is amenable to the large‐scale commercialization of fuel cells, will open a new avenue for the development of low‐cost and high‐performance ORR catalysts to replace Pt‐based catalysts for applications in energy conversion.     

Molten-Salt Media Synthesis of N-Doped Carbon Tubes Containing Encapsulated Co Nanoparticles as a Bifunctional Air Cathode for Zinc-Air Batteries

Cost efficient bifunctional air cathodes possessing high electrocatalytic activity are of great importance for the development of secondary Zn-air batteries. In this work, cobalt nanoparticles are encapsulated within a 3D N-doped open network of carbon tubes (Co@N-CNTs) by a molten-salt synthesis procedure conducted at a high temperature. Physical characterization demonstrates that Co@N-CNTs are comprised of Co particle inserted carbon tubes with mesoporous tube walls, providing significant active surface area for electrochemical reactions. High electrocatalytic activity of Co@N-CNTs towards both oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions is due to its well-developed active surface and a synergistic effect between N-doped carbon and Co nanoparticles. Both primary and secondary Zn-air battery cells assembled using Co@N-CNTs as an air cathode show higher electrochemical performance than similar cells containing commercial Pt/C and Pt/C +RuO₂, making the newly developed material a promising alternative to existing metal-based air cathodes.     

Rational design of three-dimensional nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped graphene nanoribbons/CNTs composite for the oxygen reduction

In the present work, we report nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped 3-D structured carbon nanotube intercalated graphene nanoribbon composite. The graphene nanoribbons are prepared via partial exfoliation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. In the graphene nanoribbons/CNTs composite, carbon nanotubes play a role of skeleton and support the exfoliated graphene nanoribbons to form the stereo structure. After high temperature heat-treatment with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, the unique structure reserves both the properties of carbon nanotube and graphene, exhibiting excellent catalytic performance for the ORR with excellent onset and half-wave potential, which is similar to commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts.