用于氧还原反应的双原子钴-铁催化剂（英文）

金属-空气电池因其高效率和便携性受到广泛关注.然而,氧还原反应(ORR)的高能垒和缓慢的动力学导致其输出功率低.尽管贵金属铂基材料具有较高的ORR活性,但其在工业上的大规模应用受到高成本的制约.因此,迫切需要以储量丰富的非贵金属为原料,开发具有低成本、高性能和耐用性的催化剂.近年来,单原子过渡金属与氮共掺杂碳材料(M-N-C)成为替代贵金属催化剂的理想材料.理论模拟和实验结果均表明,单原子Fe/Co-N-C催化剂具有良好的ORR活性,其中FeN₄和CoN₄构型被认为是主要活性位点.此外,含有相邻金属位点的双金属单原子催化剂具有加速ORR动力学的巨大潜力.通过对ORR中间体的桥式-顺式吸附,双金属位点可以促进O-O键的裂解,从而提高催化活性.除固有活性外,双金属位点可减少ORR过程中含氧中间体对M-N键的攻击,提高M-N-C对ORR的耐久性和工业应用潜力.因此,近年来,研究者开始探索双金属单原子催化剂的合成和电催化性能,发现Fe-Co, Fe-Mn, Fe-Cu, Co-Zn和Co-Pt双位点可以有效催化ORR.为进一步提高ORR活性,需要合理...     

V2CO2 MXene负载过渡金属单原子催化剂氧还原和氢氧化活性的DFT研究

开发廉价且高性能的电催化剂对推动燃料电池的商业应用具有重要意义.二维(2D) MXenes和单原子(SAs)催化剂是催化研究中的两个前沿领域.2D MXenes材料具有独特的几何和电子结构,能够有效调节负载SAs的催化性能.而负载的SAs又会反过来影响2D MXenes材料的本征活性,使2D MXenes形成更加丰富的活性位,进而提升其催化性能.为了拓展2D负载SAs催化剂在燃料电池中的应用,本文采用密度泛函理论(DFT)计算,系统地研究了V2CO2 MXenes负载过渡金属(TM,包括一系列3d、部分4d和5d金属)SAs催化剂的稳定结构、电子结构及其催化氧还原(ORR)和氢氧化(HOR)的催化活性,并筛选出潜在的可替代贵金属铂的ORR/HOR的双功能催化剂.稳定结构计算结果表明,3d TM SAs倾向于以锚定的形式负载于V2CO2表面与O原子作用,而4d,5d TM原子倾向于以掺杂的形式负载于含氧空穴的V2CO2表面与V原子作用;同时,Sc,Ti,V,Rh,Pd,Pt,Ag和Au SAs在V2CO2表面因具有较高扩散能垒,不易团聚,具有较高的热力学稳定性.电子结构计算结果表明,锚定型的TM SAs与O形成共价键,伴随发生明显的电荷转移,带较多正电荷;掺杂型的TM SAs与V形成金属键,因TM-V和V-O键间电荷转移的协同影响,导致TM SAs仅带有少量的电荷.TM-V2CO2电子结构与ORR/HOR中间物种的吸附关系为,TM位点为ORR中间物种(O,OH和OOH)的吸附位点,且d电子数为1、5、10的TM比其他TM对ORR物种的吸附更弱;而TM-V2CO2表面的O原子为HOR中间物种(H)的有效吸附位点,且H的吸附强弱与O位点的电荷有关,即O位点负电荷越多,对H的吸附越弱.TM-V2CO2催化剂各活性位对ORR和HOR反应物种的选择性吸附结果表明,催化剂有利于形成丰富多样的活性位,并具备作为双功能催化剂的内在优势.TM-V2CO2催化剂ORR和HOR理论活性筛选发现:与Pt(111)相比,Sc-、Mn-、Rh-和Pt-V2CO2具有较高的ORR活性,而Sc-、Ti-、V-、Cr-和Mn-V2CO2表现出较高的HOR活性.其中,Sc-V2CO2和Mn-V2CO2因同时具有较高的ORR和HOR活性和稳定性,有望成为高效和低成本的燃料电池双功能催化剂.本文从研究TM-V2CO2性质和活性出发,深入研究了SAs与2D MXenes间相互作用及其对ORR与HOR催化活性的影响机制,筛选出了高效、低成本的ORR/HOR双功能催化剂,为合理设计燃料电池双功能催化剂提供了理论指导.     

金属卟啉修饰的多孔聚苯胺基氧还原电催化剂

碳基非金属氧还原(ORR)电催化剂的研究近年来发展迅速,通过掺入杂原子等方法虽获得了一定的ORR活性,但仍需进一步提高。以此类电催化剂为基体,引入更多的活性位点,有可能获得更好的ORR活性。本文首先以带负电荷的SiO_2纳米球通过静电作用吸附带正电荷的质子化苯胺分子,再通过聚合反应实现聚苯胺(PANI)对SiO_2纳米球的包覆,之后将四甲氧基苯基铁卟啉(FeP)沉积在PANI表面,经高温热解,并去除SiO_2模板,得到了一种新型的多孔ORR电催化剂。在0.1 mol·L~(-1) KOH水溶液中,电催化剂的ORR半波电位达0.843 V (vs.可逆氢电极(RHE)),优于文献报道的大部分碳基非金属ORR电催化剂,与商业Pt/C相近。显著提高的ORR活性可能源于孔结构(平均孔径18 nm,孔容1.1 cm~3·g~(-1))、高比表面积(687.5 m~2·g~(-1))和高氮含量(6.4%)。在加速耐久性测试中,电催化剂的ORR半波电位衰减25 mV,与其它碳基非金属ORR电催化剂相当,且远优于商业Pt/C (衰减74 mV)。另外,电催化剂应用于氢氧根交换膜燃料电池(HEMFC)时的单池峰值功率密度达42 mW·cm~(-2)。     

一步热解核黄素制备高性能氧还原反应电催化剂

质子交换膜燃料电池具有零污染、能量密度高、操作温度低和超静低音等优点,因而广泛应用于新能源汽车动力电源.然而质子交换膜燃料电池阴极氧还原反应(ORR)过程缓慢且复杂,因此需要大量的高性能ORR电催化剂.商品铂基催化剂是目前最为广泛使用的ORR催化剂,然而其高昂的价格阻碍了燃料电池汽车的商业化进程.因此,近年来人们致力于研发高性能的非贵金属ORR催化剂,并成功获得了具有高ORR活性及优异稳定性的催化剂.然而开发贵金属替代催化剂还存在制备过程较为复杂、单体有毒等缺点.核黄素具有成本低廉、无毒、氮含量高等优点,本文将其直接作为碳源和氮源,以无水氯化铁为铁前驱体,通过简单的一步热解法制备了高性能的Fe-N-C催化剂.表征结果表明,合成的催化剂表面由于氮的掺杂导致石墨烯存在较多的缺陷,其比表面积为301 m2 g-1且孔径分布主要位于45 nm处;催化剂由很薄、卷曲的石墨烯片层和一些颗粒组成,其中的碳材料高度石墨化且存在Fe2O3晶体.结合X射线光电子能谱和催化剂的ORR活性,推导出石墨化氮为ORR的主要活性位,铁在ORR反应中也起着重要作用.在氧气饱和的0.1 mol L-1 KOH溶液中,Fe-N-C催化剂的ORR活性达到4.16 mA cm-2,与商品Pt/C催化剂相当(4.46 mA cm-2).采用计时电流法在0.66 V(相对于RHE电位)下运行3 h后,Fe-N-C催化剂电流仅下降了3%,而Pt/C催化剂下降了40%,表明Fe-N-C催化剂与Pt/C催化剂具有相近的ORR活性,但稳定性比Pt/C催化剂更出色.测试结果表明,Fe-N-C催化剂的抗甲醇毒化性能远优于Pt/C催化剂.在酸性介质中,Fe-N-C催化剂的ORR活性比Pt/C催化剂低,但稳定性更高.总之,该Fe-N-C催化剂在碱性介质中有较高的活性和稳定性,在酸性介质中有较高的稳定性.因此,我们采用廉价、无毒的核黄素作为碳氮源,通过简单的一步热解法制备出的Fe-N-C催化剂能较好地满足燃料电池ORR催化剂高性能和低成本的要求,具有很好的应用前景.     

V_2CO_2 MXene负载过渡金属单原子催化剂氧还原和氢氧化活性的DFT研究（英文）

开发廉价且高性能的电催化剂对推动燃料电池的商业应用具有重要意义.二维(2D) MXenes和单原子(SAs)催化剂是催化研究中的两个前沿领域.2D MXenes材料具有独特的几何和电子结构,能够有效调节负载SAs的催化性能.而负载的SAs又会反过来影响2D MXenes材料的本征活性,使2D MXenes形成更加丰富的活性位,进而提升其催化性能.为了拓展2D负载SAs催化剂在燃料电池中的应用,本文采用密度泛函理论(DFT)计算,系统地研究了V_2CO_2 MXenes负载过渡金属(TM,包括一系列3d、部分4d和5d金属) SAs催化剂的稳定结构、电子结构及其催化氧还原(ORR)和氢氧化(HOR)的催化活性,并筛选出潜在的可替代贵金属铂的ORR/HOR的双功能催化剂.稳定结构计算结果表明,3d TM SAs倾向于以锚定的形式负载于V_2CO_2表面与O原子作用,而4d,5d TM原子倾向于以掺杂的形式负载于含氧空穴的V_2CO_2表面与V原子作用;同时,Sc,Ti,V,Rh,Pd,Pt,Ag和Au SAs在V_2CO_2表面因具有较高扩散能垒,不易团聚,具有较高的热力学稳定性.电子结构计算结果表明,锚定型的TM SAs与O形成共价键,伴随发生明显的电荷转移,带较多正电荷;掺杂型的TM SAs与V形成金属键,因TM-V和V-O键间电荷转移的协同影响,导致TM SAs仅带有少量的电荷.TM-V_2CO_2电子结构与ORR/HOR中间物种的吸附关系为,TM位点为ORR中间物种(O,OH和OOH)的吸附位点,且d电子数为1、5、10的TM比其他TM对ORR物种的吸附更弱;而TM-V_2CO_2表面的O原子为HOR中间物种(H)的有效吸附位点,且H的吸附强弱与O位点的电荷有关,即O位点负电荷越多,对H的吸附越弱.TM-V_2CO_2催化剂各活性位对ORR和HOR反应物种的选择性吸附结果表明,催化剂有利于形成丰富多样的活性位,并具备作为双功能催化剂的内在优势.TM-V_2CO_2催化剂ORR和HOR理论活性筛选发现:与Pt(111)相比,Sc-、Mn-、Rh-和Pt-V_2CO_2具有较高的ORR活性,而Sc-、Ti-、V-、Cr-和Mn-V_2CO_2表现出较高的HOR活性.其中,Sc-V_2CO_2和Mn-V_2CO_2因同时具有较高的ORR和HOR活性和稳定性,有望成为高效和低成本的燃料电池双功能催化剂.本文从研究TM-V_2CO_2性质和活性出发,深入研究了SAs与2D MXenes间相互作用及其对ORR与HOR催化活性的影响机制,筛选出了高效、低成本的ORR/HOR双功能催化剂,为合理设计燃料电池双功能催化剂提供了理论指导.     

氮掺杂的碳材料中石墨化氮和吡啶氮对氧还原反应的催化特性（英文）

目前,开发高效的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)电催化剂是实现燃料电池和金属-空气电池商业化发展急需完成的目标.在过去的几十年中,人们在探索廉价高效的ORR电催化剂(如N掺杂的非金属及非铂电催化剂)领域做了广泛的研究.在N掺杂的碳基ORR催化剂中,已知的N基活性位点主要分为四类,即吡啶类氮(P-N)、吡咯类氮(Py-N)、石墨化氮(G-N)和氧化类氮(O-N).尽管人们对这四种类型氮的活性位点做了大量的研究,但是它们在催化反应中起到的ORR催化作用以及催化机理和活性位点本身结构的关系仍不够明确.早期的研究中有人认为P-N或者Py-N是ORR催化活性位点,也有人认为是G-N起作用.最近也有研究表明,P-N和G-N都是ORR催化活性位点,只是在ORR中所起的催化能力不同.因此,很有必要认清这些问题.本文通过Hummer法酸性氧化一次和两次碳黑Vulcan XC-72(VXC-72)以及随后高温热处理,制备了一系列ORR催化剂VXCO-1,VXCO-2,VXCO-1(900)和VXCO-2(900),采用场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM),N_2吸附脱附法,元素分析仪(EA),X射线光电子能谱(XPS),拉曼光谱仪(Raman),X射线衍射能谱(XRD),电化学循环伏安法和线性伏安法测试等手段研究Hummers法酸氧化和高温热处理对VXC-72形貌组成的影响,以及这些碳基中成分和其催化ORR能力的关系.SEM结果表明,Hummer法酸性氧化处理VXC-72一次和两次后可以逐层剥落其最外边的碳层结构,最终得到表面光滑的类片层状结构的碳材料(VXCO-1和VXCO-2).这种表面光滑的类片层状结构的碳材料比表面积大于处理前的VXC-72,而高温热处理之后的碳材料(VXCO-1(900)和VXCO-2(900))由于类石墨层碎片结构蒸发损失暴露出更多内部的微孔和介孔结构使比表面积增加.Raman和XRD结果表明,氧化处理使碳材料的石墨化程度增加,而高温热处理则降低了其石墨化程度.EA和XPS结果表明,Hummer法酸性氧化处理可以使在碳材料中掺入的N以石墨化的为主,高温热处理却使得石墨化氮转变为吡啶类的氮.ORR结果发现,活性的石墨化氮倾向于使ORR反应经历两电子过程,从而生成H2O2为主要产物;而吡啶类氮的活性位点更倾向于使ORR反应经过四电子过程,主产物是水.该结果有助于新型碳基氧还原催化剂的设计和分析.     

单原子催化剂在氧还原反应中的分子级调控

氧还原反应(ORR)在电化学能量存储和转换系统以及精细化学制剂的清洁合成中发挥着重要作用. 然而, ORR过程的动力学极其缓慢, 需要使用铂族贵金属催化剂加快其反应动力学速率. 铂基催化剂的高成本严重阻碍了其大规模的商业化. 由于单原子催化剂(SACs)具有结构明确、 本征活性高和原子效率高的特点, 有望取代昂贵的铂族贵金属催化剂. 迄今, 在进一步提高SACs的ORR活性方面已有大量的研究报道, 包括定制金属中心的配位结构、 丰富金属中心的浓度以及设计衬底的电子结构和孔隙率等. 本文综合评述了近年来SACs在ORR性能以及与ORR相关的H₂O₂生产、 金属-空气电池和低温燃料电池等方面的应用研究进展. 总结了通过引入其它金属或配体来调整孤立金属中心的配位结构、 通过增加金属负载来增加单原子位点的浓度以及通过优化载体的孔隙度来优化催化性能和电子传输等方面的研究进展, 并对SCAs的未来发展方向和面临的挑战提出了展望.     

一步热解核黄素制备高性能氧还原反应电催化剂（英文）

质子交换膜燃料电池具有零污染、能量密度高、操作温度低和超静低音等优点,因而广泛应用于新能源汽车动力电源.然而质子交换膜燃料电池阴极氧还原反应(ORR)过程缓慢且复杂,因此需要大量的高性能ORR电催化剂.商品铂基催化剂是目前最为广泛使用的ORR催化剂,然而其高昂的价格阻碍了燃料电池汽车的商业化进程.因此,近年来人们致力于研发高性能的非贵金属ORR催化剂,并成功获得了具有高ORR活性及优异稳定性的催化剂.然而开发贵金属替代催化剂还存在制备过程较为复杂、单体有毒等缺点.核黄素具有成本低廉、无毒、氮含量高等优点,本文将其直接作为碳源和氮源,以无水氯化铁为铁前驱体,通过简单的一步热解法制备了高性能的Fe–N–C催化剂.表征结果表明,合成的催化剂表面由于氮的掺杂导致石墨烯存在较多的缺陷,其比表面积为301 m~2g~(–1)且孔径分布主要位于45 nm处;催化剂由很薄、卷曲的石墨烯片层和一些颗粒组成,其中的碳材料高度石墨化且存在Fe_2O_3晶体.结合X射线光电子能谱和催化剂的ORR活性,推导出石墨化氮为ORR的主要活性位,铁在ORR反应中也起着重要作用.在氧气饱和的0.1 mol L~(–1) KOH溶液中,Fe–N–C催化剂的ORR活性达到4.16 mA cm~(–2),与商品Pt/C催化剂相当(4.46 mA cm~(–2)).采用计时电流法在0.66 V(相对于RHE电位)下运行3 h后,Fe–N–C催化剂电流仅下降了3%,而Pt/C催化剂下降了40%,表明Fe–N–C催化剂与Pt/C催化剂具有相近的ORR活性,但稳定性比Pt/C催化剂更出色.测试结果表明,Fe–N–C催化剂的抗甲醇毒化性能远优于Pt/C催化剂.在酸性介质中,Fe–N–C催化剂的ORR活性比Pt/C催化剂低,但稳定性更高.总之,该Fe–N–C催化剂在碱性介质中有较高的活性和稳定性,在酸性介质中有较高的稳定性.因此,我们采用廉价、无毒的核黄素作为碳氮源,通过简单的一步热解法制备出的Fe–N–C催化剂能较好地满足燃料电池ORR催化剂高性能和低成本的要求,具有很好的应用前景.     

金属-空气电池中双功能电催化剂微纳结构设计（英文）

金属-空气二次电池在可再生电能的存储和转换方面具有广阔的应用前景.在金属-空气二次电池的空气侧,放电时发生氧还原反应(ORR),充电时发生氧析出反应(OER).然而,ORR和OER反应的动力学过程缓慢,因此限制了金属-空气二次电池的实际应用.因此,发展高性能ORR和OER电催化剂对金属-空气二次电池的发展尤为重要.目前,大多数的研究集中在ORR或OER的单功能电催化剂上,而关于双功能电催化剂的研究和综述相对较少.两个反应均具有较高的过电位和较缓慢的动力学过程,而且充电过程的高电压会导致ORR催化剂失活,反之亦然.因此,开发针对这两个反应均具有高活性和高稳定性的双功能电催化剂极具挑战性.近年来,研究者对具有低成本和高性能双功能电催化剂进行了探索.这些双功能电催化剂包括碳基材料,过渡金属材料和复合材料.双功能电催化剂可以通过提高本征活性和表观活性两种策略来提高其整体的活性.其中,本征活性与晶体结构和电子结构密切相关,即可以通过调节晶体结构和电子结构来提高其本征活性.例如,可以改变金属-氧键的强度、氧空位浓度等来调变电催化活性.在碳基材料中掺杂杂原子可以改变碳的电荷密度分布,从而实现对电催化活性的提高.此外,其表观活性还可以通过改变形貌并利用协同作用来改善.构建特殊微纳结构是提高电催化活性的最常用策略之一.在这种情况下,电催化剂具有较高的比表面积,大量的活性位点和良好的电子传导性.同时,复合电催化剂组分之间在加速电催化过程中的协同作用不容忽视.本文将聚焦双功能电催化剂的微纳结构设计,并简要讨论了纳米结构的精细调控和对反应机理的认识.我们认为,未来的工作应继续加强ORR和OER的新型双功能电催化剂的开发,发展更多的合成方法对电催化剂的微纳结构进行调变,并对反应机理进行更深入的研究.首先,通过对结构的精细调变提高电催化剂的本征活性和表观活性.此外,通过多种原位表征方法揭示反应机理,这有助于电催化剂的设计和催化活性的进一步提升.基于此,开发出性能优异的双功能电催化剂以加快用于存储和转换可再生能源的可充电金属-空气二次电池的商业化进程.     

质子交换膜燃料电池Pd修饰Pt/C催化剂的电催化性能

通过对Pt催化剂表面进行Pd修饰提高质子交换膜燃料电池阴极催化剂的氧还原反应(ORR)活性. 采用乙二醇还原法制备了不同比例的Pd修饰Pt/C催化剂. 透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)测试结果表明, 制备的催化剂贵金属颗粒粒径主要分布在1.75～2.50 nm之间, 并均匀地分散在碳载体表面. 循环伏安方法(CV)研究表明Pd修饰Pt/C催化剂的电化学活性面积低于传统的Pt/C催化剂. 但通过旋转圆盘电极(RDE)测试研究发现, 制备的催化剂具有比传统Pt/C催化剂高的ORR活性.     

Heterocyclization Strategy for Construction of Linear Conjugated Polymers: Efficient Metal‐Free Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

Exploring cost‐effective and efficient metal‐free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for the development of energy conversion and storage technologies. Reported here is a novel heterocyclization strategy to construct efficient ORR catalysts based on linear conjugated polymers (LCPs), which are composed of N‐, S‐, or Se‐heterocycles. Among these polymers, the covalently linked pyridine and thiophene molecule ( P‐T ) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) exhibits a remarkable half‐wave potential of 0.79 V (vs. RHE) and excellent electrochemical stability, which are among the highest values for metal‐free polymers as ORR catalysts. Density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the molecule with a phenyl unit ( P‐Ph ) is catalytically inactive, and when a thiophene unit is introduced to replace the phenyl unit in the conjugated backbone it features highly efficient electrocatalytic active sites. More importantly, the well‐defined molecular structures and controllable active sites in the pyrolysis and metal‐free polymers highlight new opportunities for the catalytic metal‐free ORR.     

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.     

Boosting ORR Catalytic Activity by Integrating Pyridine‐N Dopants,a High Degree of Graphitization,and Hierarchical Pores into a MOF‐Derived N‐Doped Carbon in a Tandem Synthesis

N‐doped carbon materials represent promising metal‐free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the cathode reaction in fuel cells, metal–air batteries, and so on. A challenge for optimizing the ORR catalytic activities of these electrocatalysts is to tune their local structures and chemical compositions in a rational and controlled way that can achieve the synergistic function of each factor. Herein, we report a tandem synthetic strategy that integrates multiple contributing factors into an N‐doped carbon. With an N‐containing MOF (ZIF‐8) as the precursor, carbonization at higher temperatures leads to a higher degree of graphitization. Subsequent NH₃ etching of this highly graphitic carbon enabled the introduction of a higher content of pyridine‐N sites and higher porosity. By optimizing these three factors, the resultant carbon materials displayed ORR activity that was far superior to that of carbon derived from a one‐step pyrolysis. The onset potential of 0.955 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and the half‐wave potential of 0.835 V versus RHE are among the top ranks of metal‐free ORR catalysts and are comparable to commercial Pt/C (20 wt %) catalysts. Kinetic studies revealed lower H₂O₂ yields, higher electron‐transfer numbers, and lower Tafel slopes for these carbon materials compared with that derived from a one‐step carbonization. These findings verify the effectiveness of this tandem synthetic strategy to enhance the ORR activity of N‐doped carbon materials.     

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.     

High Catalytic Activity of Nitrogen and Sulfur Co‐Doped Nanoporous Graphene in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Chemical doping has been demonstrated to be an effective way to realize new functions of graphene as metal‐free catalyst in energy‐related electrochemical reactions. Although efficient catalysis for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been achieved with doped graphene, its performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is rather poor. In this study we report that nitrogen and sulfur co‐doping leads to high catalytic activity of nanoporous graphene in HER at low operating potential, comparable to the best Pt‐free HER catalyst, 2D MoS₂. The interplay between the chemical dopants and geometric lattice defects of the nanoporous graphene plays the fundamental role in the superior HER catalysis.     

Single‐Atom Iron Catalysts on Overhang‐Eave Carbon Cages for High‐Performance Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Single‐atom catalysts have drawn great attention, especially in electrocatalysis. However, most of previous works focus on the enhanced catalytic properties via improving metal loading. Engineering morphologies of catalysts to facilitate mass transport through catalyst layers, thus increasing the utilization of each active site, is regarded as an appealing way for enhanced performance. Herein, we design an overhang‐eave structure decorated with isolated single‐atom iron sites via a silica‐mediated MOF‐templated approach for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis. This catalyst demonstrates superior ORR performance in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes, comparable to the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalyst and superior to most precious‐metal‐free catalysts reported to date. This activity originates from its edge‐rich structure, having more three‐phase boundaries with enhanced mass transport of reactants to accessible single‐atom iron sites (increasing the utilization of active sites), which verifies the practicability of such a synthetic approach.     

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.     

Understanding the Activity of Co‐N4−xCx in Atomic Metal Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Catalysis

Atomic metal catalysis (AMC) provides an effective way to enhance activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Cobalt anchored on nitrogen‐doped carbon materials have been extensively reported. The carbon‐hosted Co‐N₄ structure was widely considered as the active site; however, it is very rare to investigate the activity of Co partially coordinated with N, for example, Co‐N_4?xC_x. Herein, the activity of Co‐N_4?xC_x with tunable coordination environment is investigated as the active sites for ORR catalysis. The defect (di‐vacancies) on carbon is essential for the formation of Co‐N_4?xC_x. N species play two important roles in promoting the intrinsic activity of atomic metal catalyst: N coordinated with Co to manipulate the reactivity by modification of electronic distribution and N helped to trap more Co to increase the number of active sites.     

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.     

High‐Rate Oxygen Electroreduction over Graphitic‐N Species Exposed on 3D Hierarchically Porous Nitrogen‐Doped Carbons

Nitrogen‐doped species (NDs) are theoretically accepted as a determinant of the catalytic activity of metal‐free N‐doped carbon (NC) catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, direct relationships between ND type and ORR activity have been difficult to extract because the complexity of carbon matrix impairs efforts to expose specific NDs. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of a 3D hierarchically porous NC catalyst with micro‐, meso‐, and macroporosity in one structure, in which sufficient exposure and availability of inner‐pore catalytic sites can be achieved due to its super‐high surface area (2191 cm² g^?1) and interconnected pore system. More importantly, in‐situ formation of graphitic‐N species (GNs) on the surface of NC stimulated by KOH activation enables us to experimentally reveal the catalytic nature of GNs for ORR, which is of great significance for the design and development of advanced metal‐free NC electrocatalysts.