Substituent position effect of Co porphyrin on oxygen electrocatalysis

Substituent effect of metal porphyrin molecular catalysts plays a crucial role in determining the catalytic activity of oxygen electrocatalysis. Herein, substituent position effect of Co porphyrins on oxygen electrocatalysis, including the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), was investigated. Two Co porphyrins, namely 2,4,6-OMe-CoP and 3,4,5-OMe-CoP, were selected as the research objects. The ORR and OER performance was evaluated by drop-coating molecular catalysts on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The resulted 3,4,5-OMe-CoP/CNT exhibited high bifunctional electrocatalytic activities and better long-term stability for both ORR and OER than 2,4,6-OMe-CoP/CNT. Furthermore, when applied in the Zn-air battery, 3,4,5-OMe-CoP/CNT exhibited comparable performance to that with precious metal-based materials. The enhanced catalytic activity may be attributed to the improved charge transfer rate, mass transfer and hydrophilicity. This work provides an effective strategy to further enhance catalytic activity by introducing substituent position effect, which is of great importance for developing more efficient energy-related electrocatalysts.     

Regulation of 2D Graphene Materials for Electrocatalysis

Benefiting from unique excellent physical and chemical characteristics, graphene has attracted widespread attention in the application of electrocatalysis. As a promising candidate, graphene is usually regulated with surface defects, heteroatoms, metal atoms and other active materials through covalent or non‐covalent bonds to substitute for noble metal catalysts, which has not been targeted in a report yet. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of approaches for engineering graphene‐based electrocatalysts and emphasize the corresponding electrocatalytic active sites in various electrocatalysis circumstances, such as electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), etc. The opportunities and challenges in the future development of graphene‐based catalysts are also discussed.     

Co3+-Rich Na1.95CoP2O7 Phosphates as Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts for Oxygen Evolution and Reduction Reactions in Alkaline Solution

Implementing sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies is highly reliant on crucial oxygen electrocatalysis, such as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the pursuit of low cost, energetic efficient and robust bifunctional catalysts for OER and ORR remains a great challenge. Herein, the novel Na-ion-deficient Na_2−xCoP₂O₇ catalysts are proposed to efficiently electrocatalyze OER and ORR in alkaline solution. The engineering of Na-ion deficiency can tune the electronic structure of Co, and thus tailor the intrinsically electrocatalytic performance. Among the sodium cobalt phosphate catalysts, the Na_1.95CoP₂O₇ (NCPO5) catalyst exhibits the lowest ΔE (E_J10,OER−E_J−1,ORR) of only 0.86 V, which favorably outperforms most of the reported non-noble metal catalysts. Moreover, the Na-ion deficiency can stabilize the phase structure and morphology of NCPO5 during the OER and ORR processes. This study highlights the Na-ion deficient Na_2−xCoP₂O₇ as a promising class of low-cost, highly active and robust bifunctional catalysts for OER and ORR.     

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.     

吸电子和亲水性Co-卟啉促进电催化氧还原反应的研究

研究影响电催化氧还原反应活性的因素对于合理设计高效的氧还原反应催化剂至关重要。调节催化剂电子结构通常被用于精确调控电催化氧还原反应活性。然而, 该反应发生在液/气/固界面, 很少有报道调控分子催化剂的亲疏水性来提高其催化活性。在此, 我们报道了两种钴卟啉NO₂-CoP（5,10,15,20-四（4-硝基苯基）钴卟啉）和5F-CoP（5,10,15,20-四（五氟苯基）钴卟啉）并研究了其电催化氧还原反应性能。通过同时调控meso-位取代基的电子结构和亲水性能, NO₂-CoP显示出比5F-CoP更高的电催化氧还原反应活性, 其半波电位向阳极方向移动近60 mV。NO₂-CoP比5F-CoP具有更好的亲水性。理论计算表明, NO₂-CoP比5F-CoP更容易有效地与O₂分子结合形成Co^III-O₂^·-。这项工作提供了一个简单而有效的策略, 通过使用吸电子和亲水取代基来提高钴卟啉的氧还原反应活性。该策略对于设计和开发其他用于电催化的分子催化剂体系也具有重要的启发意义。     

Carbon-supported Fe/Co-N electrocatalysts synthesized through heat treatment of Fe/Co-doped polypyrrole-polyaniline composites for oxygen reduction reaction

In this paper,we synthesized cathode catalysts(PANI-PPYR,Fe/PANI-PPYR,Co/PANI-PPYR and Fe-Co/PANI-PPYR)with high performance oxygen reduction by using a simple heat treatment process.These catalysts were fabricated by directly calcining the Fe and/or Co doped polyaniline(PANI)-polypyrrole(PPYR)composites.Their electrocatalytic activity for ORR both in acidic and in alkaline media was investigated by voltammetric techniques.Among the prepared catalysts,Co/PANI-PPYR presents the most positive ORR onset potential of 0.62 V(vs.SCE)in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution or?0.09 V(vs.SCE)in 1 mol/L NaOH solution.In addition,the Co/PANI-PPYR catalyst shows the largest limiting-diffusion current density for ORR,which is 4.3 mA/cm2@0.2 V(vs.SCE)in acidic and 2.3 mA/cm2@?0.3 V(vs.SCE)in alkaline media.In acidic media,a four-electron reaction of ORR on the Co/PANI-PPYR and Fe/PANI-PPYR catalysts is more dominant than a two-electron reaction.In alkaline media,however,a four-electron and a two-electron mechanisms are co-present for the ORR on all the prepared catalysts.Co/PANI-PPYR catalyst also presents good electrocatalytic activity stability for ORR both in acidic and in alkaline media.     

Bio-inspired Design of Bidirectional Oxygen Reduction and Oxygen Evolution Reaction Molecular Electrocatalysts

The proper utilization of renewable energy sources has emerged as a major challenge in our pursuit of a sustainable and carbon-neutral energy landscape. Small molecule activation is a key component for proper utilization of renewable energy resources, where O₂/H₂O redox couple is reckoned to be a potential game changer. In this regard, electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) have become the prime interest of catalyst designers. Typically, these ORR and OER electrocatalysts are developed distinctly; however, very soon, the requirement of a bidirectional ORR/OER electrocatalyst becomes obvious for practical applicability and rapid energy transduction purposes. A bidirectional catalyst is defined as a catalyst capable of driving a redox reaction in opposing directions. This review has portrayed the development of enzyme structure-inspired design of molecular bidirectional ORR/OER catalysts. The strategic incorporation of secondary and outer coordination sphere features has significantly enhanced the performance of these catalysts, which can be monitored via the key catalytic parameters. These bifunctional OER/ORR catalysts are vital for metal-air battery and fuel cell applications and appropriately poised to lay the foundation for an efficient, economical, and eco-friendly pathway for sustainable energy usage with the rational assembly of energy converting and storage devices.     

富含吡啶氮-钴活性位点的三维多级大/介孔石墨烯作为高效可逆氧电催化剂用于可充电锌-空气电池

随着能源危机的日益严峻,能源的储存和转换越来越受到人们的重视.目前人们加以开发和利用的清洁能源主要包括太阳能、风能、氢能、地热能以及电化学能等.其中,燃料电池和金属-空气电池等作为电化学器件为电化学能的开发及可持续利用提供了条件.特别是金属-空气电池以电极电位较负的金属如镁、铝、锌、铁等作负极,以空气中的氧或纯氧作正极...     

Carbon‐Based Metal‐Free Catalysts for Electrocatalysis beyond the ORR

Besides their use in fuel cells for energy conversion through the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon‐based metal‐free catalysts have also been demonstrated to be promising alternatives to noble‐metal/metal oxide catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in metal–air batteries for energy storage and for the splitting of water to produce hydrogen fuels through the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This Review focuses on recent progress in the development of carbon‐based metal‐free catalysts for the OER and HER, along with challenges and perspectives in the emerging field of metal‐free electrocatalysis.     

Molecular Engineering of a 3D Self‐Supported Electrode for Oxygen Electrocatalysis in Neutral Media

Electrodes for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are required in energy conversion and storage technologies. An assembly strategy involves covalently grafting Co corrole 1 onto Fe₃O₄ nanoarrays grown on Ti mesh. The resulted electrode shows significantly improved activity and durability for OER and ORR in neutral media as compared to Fe₃O₄ alone and with directly adsorbed 1 . It also displays higher atom efficiency (at least two magnitudes larger turnover frequency) than reported electrodes. Using this electrode in a neutral Zn‐air battery, a small charge–discharge voltage gap of 1.19 V, large peak power density of 90.4 mW cm^?2, and high rechargeable stability for >100 h are achieved, opening a promising avenue of molecular electrocatalysis in a metal–air battery. This work shows a molecule‐engineered electrode for electrocatalysis and demonstrates their potential applications in energy conversion and storage.     

Co porphyrin-based metal-organic framework for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction

Constructing molecule@support composites is an attractive strategy to realize heterogeneous molecular electrocatalysis. Herein, we synthesized metal-organic framework (MOF)-supported molecular catalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reaction (HER/ORR). Ligand exchange strategy was used to prepare molecule@support hybrids due to the same functional group. A series of hybrids were obtained using Co porphyrin (1) and different MOFs including MIL-88(Fe), MOF-5(NiCo) and UIO-66(Zr). The 1@MOF-5(NiCo) had the best HER and ORR activity compared with 1@MIL-88(Fe) and 1@MOF-5(NiCo). These hybrids also exhibited tunable selectivity for ORR with four-electron process, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of porphyrin molecules and MOFs. This work provides a possibility for molecular catalysts to improve activity of HER and tune selectivity of ORR.     

Carbon-supported Pd-Co as cathode catalyst for APEMFCs and validation by DFT

Carbon supported PdCo catalysts in varying atomic ratios of Pd to Co, namely 1 : 1, 2 : 1 and 3 : 1, were prepared. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied on commercial carbon-supported Pd and carbon-supported PdCo nanocatalysts in aqueous 0.1 M KOH solution with and without methanol. The structure, dispersion, electrochemical characterization and surface area of PdCo/C were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), respectively. The electrochemical activity for ORR was evaluated from Linear Sweep Voltammograms (LSV) obtained using a rotating ring disk electrode. The catalysts were evaluated for their electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in Alkaline Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (APEMFCs). PdCo(3 : 1)/C gives higher performance (85 mW cm(-2)) than PdCo(1 : 1)/C, PdCo(2 : 1)/C and Pd/C. The maximum electrocatalytic activity for ORR in the presence of methanol was observed for PdCo(3 : 1)/C. First principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory were performed to understand the origin of its catalytic activity based on the energy of adsorption of an O(2) molecule on the cluster, structural variation and charge transfer mechanism.     

A bifunctional perovskite oxide catalyst:The triggered oxygen reduction/evolution electrocatalysis by moderated Mn-Ni co-doping

ABO₃-type perovskite oxides(e.g.,LaCoO₃)with flexible and adjustable A-and B-sites are ideal model catalysts to unravel the relationship between the electronic structure and electrocatalytic activity(e.g.,oxygen reduction/evolution reactions,ORR/OER).It has been well understood in our recent work that the secondary metal dopant at B-site(e.g.,Mn in LaMn_xCo_1-xO₃)can regulate the electronic structure and improve the ORR/OER activity.In this work,the Mn-Ni pairs are employed as the dual dopant in LaMn_xNi_yCo_zO₃(x+y+z=1)catalysts toward bifunctional ORR and OER.The structure-property relationships between the triple metal B-site(Mn,Ni and Co)and the electrochemical performance are particularly investigated.Compared to the individual Mn doping(e.g.,LaMnCoO3(Mn:Co=1:3)catalyst),the dual Mn-Ni doping significantly improves the ORR mass activity@0.8 V by 1.54 times;meanwhile,the OER overpotential@10 mA cm^-2 is reduced from 420 to 370 mV,and the OER current density at 1.55 V is increased by 2.43 times.Reasonably,the potential gap between EDRR@-1 mA cm^-2 and EDER@10 mA cm^-2 is achieved as only 0.76 V by using the optimal LaMn_xNi_yCo_zO₃(x:y:z=1:2:3)catalyst.It is revealed that the dual Mn-Ni dopant efficiently optimizes electron structures of the LaMnNiCoO₃(1:2:3)catalyst,which not only decreases the e_g orbital electron number,but also modulates the O 2 p-band closer to the Femi level,accounting for the enhanced bifunctional activity.     

溶剂热法制备磷掺杂碳纳米管作为氧气还原和氧气析出反应双功能电催化剂的研究

对氧气还原(ORR)和氧气析出(OER)反应都具有催化活性的双功能催化剂在金属-空气电池中起着关键作用.本文通过溶剂热反应,一步原位合成了磷掺杂碳纳米管(P-CNT).旋转环盘电极测试表明磷掺杂能够明显提高碳纳米管的催化活性,P-CNT在碱性电解质中对ORR和OER都具有优异的催化活性.P-CNT对ORR的催化还原为近4电子反应,可与商业催化剂Pt/C(20 wt%)相比;而其对OER的催化活性则高于Pt/C(20 wt%).此外,P-CNT的长期稳定性优于Pt/C(20 wt%).P-CNT对ORR和OER的高催化活性和稳定性主要归因于磷对碳的掺杂以及磷与碳间强的化学键合.     

A comparison study on single metal atoms (Fe,Co, Ni) within nitrogen-doped graphene for oxygen electrocatalysis and rechargeable Zn-air batteries

Single atom catalysts (SACs) with atomically dispersed transition metals on nitrogen-doped carbon supports have recently emerged as highly active non-noble metal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), showing great application potential in Zn-air batteries. However, because of the complex structure-performance relationships of carbon-based SACs in the oxygen electrocatalytic reactions, the contribution of different metal atoms to the catalytic activity of SACs in Zn-air batteries still remains ambiguous. In this study, SACs with atomically dispersed transition metals on nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (M-N@Gs, M = Co, Fe and Ni), featured with similar physicochemical properties and M-N@C configurations, are obtained. By comparing the on-set potentials and the maximum current, we observed that the ORR activity is in the order of Co-N@G > Fe-N@G > Ni-N@G, while the OER activity is in the order of Co-N@G > Ni-N@G > Fe-N@G. The Zn-air batteries with Co-N@G as the air cathode catalysts outperform those with the Fe-N@G and Ni-N@G. This is due to the accelerated charge transfer between Co-N@C active sites and the oxygen-containing reactants. This study could improve our understanding of the design of more efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for Zn-air batteries at the atomic level.     

Carbon support tuned electrocatalytic activity of a single-site metal–organic framework toward the oxygen reduction reaction

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) possess fantastic features such as structural diversity, tunable accessible pores and atomically dispersed active sites, holding tremendous potential as highly versatile platforms for fabricating single-site catalysts. The electrocatalytic activity of single-site MOFs can be improved and tuned via several approaches; however, the exploitation of different carbon supports to modulate the nature of single active sites in MOFs for electrocatalysis has not been reported. Here, we find that the electrocatalytic activity of single-site MOFs toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) can be tuned by using carbon nanomaterials, i.e., carbon nanotubes and graphene, as supports through MOF–support interactions in the manner of geometric and electronic effects. The introduction of MOF–support interactions not only greatly improves the electrocatalytic performance of MOFs toward the ORR in terms of onset and half-wave potentials and current density, but also alters the reaction pathway of the ORR. This finding provides a new horizon for the design and synthesis of single-site MOFs for electrocatalysis.

MOF–support interactions are proposed for the first time for tuning the electrocatalytic activity of single-site MOFs in the manner of geometric and electronic effects.     

Designed preparation of CoS/Co/MoC nanoparticles incorporated in N and S dual-doped porous carbon nanofibers for high-performance Zn-air batteries

The development of low-cost and highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is of critical importance for clean energy devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries.Herein,a sophisticated na nostructure composed of CoS,Co and MoC nanoparticles incorporated in N and S dual-doped porous carbon nanofibers(CoS/Co/MoC-N,SPCNFs) as a high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalyst is designed and synthesized via an efficient multistep strategy.The as-prepared CoS/Co/MoC-N,S-PCNFs exhibit a positive half-wave potential(E_(1/2)) of0.871 V for ORR and a low overpotential of 289 mV at 10 mA/cm~2 for OER,outperforming the non-noble metal-based catalysts reported.Furthermore,the assembled Zn-air battery based on CoS/Co/MoC-N,SPCNFs delivers an excellent power density(169.1 mW/cm~2),a large specific capacity(819.3 mAh/g) and robust durability,demonstrating the great potential of the as-developed bifunctional electrocatalyst in practical applications.This work is expected to inspire the design of advanced bifunctional nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts for energy storage.     

The real role of carbon in Pt/C catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

A new electrocatalysis of carbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on Pt/C catalysts was discovered. It was found that there exist two kinds of electroactive sites on these supports of carbon materials, which can effectively electrocatalyze the reduction of peroxide intermediated from oxygen reduction on Pt, as this provides continuous driving force to move the equilibrium toward the production of peroxide from ORR.     

Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis of a Single MOF‐Derived Composite Nanoparticle on the Tip of a Nanoelectrode

Determination of the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of nanomaterials by means of macroelectrode techniques is compromised by ensemble and film effects. Here, a unique “particle on a stick” approach is used to grow a single metal–organic framework (MOF; ZIF‐67) nanoparticle on a nanoelectrode surface which is pyrolyzed to generate a cobalt/nitrogen‐doped carbon (CoN/C) composite nanoparticle that exhibits very high catalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a current density of up to 230 mA cm^?2 at 1.77 V (vs. RHE), and a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 29.7 s^?1 at 540 mV overpotential. Identical location transmission electron microscopy (IL‐TEM) analysis substantiates the “self‐sacrificial” template nature of the MOF, while post‐electrocatalysis studies reveal agglomeration of Co centers within the CoN/C composite during the OER. “Single‐entity” electrochemical analysis allows for deriving the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity and furnishes insight into the transient behavior of the electrocatalyst under reaction conditions.