A Chemical Dealloying Approach for Pt Surface-enriched Pt3Co Alloy Nanoparticles as Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts

Pt-based alloys are the optimal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) currently. Dealloying of Pt-based alloys has shown to be an effective approach to improving ORR activity. Electrochemical dealloying is controllable for morphology by changing electrochemical parameters but is difficult to scale up due to complex operation and energy consumption. Chemical dealloying is suitable for a large scale but it is not easy to control the morphology because highly corrosive acids(HNO₃ or H₂SO₄) are commonly used. In this work, a facile chemical dealloying method for Pt₃Co/C has been employed to synthesize elec-trocatalysts for ORR using weak acids and buffer solutions of different pH, which could slow down the dissolution rate for Co atoms and increase the diffusion time for Pt atoms to improve ORR activity. It can be observed that the mass activities(MA) of the Pt₃Co/C alloy after dealloying with H₃PO₄ and NaH₂PO₄/Na₂HPO₄ buffer solution of pH=6 are close to that after electrochemical dealloying process, and are more than two times that of commercial Pt/C. In addition, Pt₃Co/C after dealloying with a buffer solution of pH=6 only showed a slight degradation in the half-wave potential and electrochemical surface area(ECSA) after stability test for 5000 cycles, which is more stable than commercial Pt/C. It shows that by controlling pH of the solvent, the ORR activity can be further increased. This facile approach provides a new strategy to control morphology of Pt-based electrocatalysts by chemical dealloying, which can contribute to promising application for cathodic electrocatalysts design of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).     

Regulating the Oxygen Affinity of Single Atom Catalysts by Dual-atom Design for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity

This work chooses Cu/Fe single-atom catalysts(SACs) with weak/strong oxygen affinity to clarify the effect of dual-atom configuration on oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) performance based on density functional theory(DFT) calculations. The stability and ORR activity of single or dual Cu/Fe atomic sites anchored on nitrogen-doped graphene sheets(Cu-N₄-C, Cu₂-N₆-C, Fe-N₄-C, and Fe₂-N₆-C) are investigated, and the results indicate the dual-atom catalysts(Cu₂-N₆-C and Fe₂-N₆-C) are thermodynamically stable enough to avoid sintering and aggregation. Compared with single-atom active sites of Cu-N₄-C, which show weak oxygen affinity and poor ORR performance with a limiting potential of 0.58 V, the dual-Cu active sites of Cu₂-N₆-C exhibit enhanced ORR activity with a limiting potential up to 0.87 V due to strengthened oxygen affinity. Interestingly, for Fe SACs with strong oxygen affinity, the DFT results show that the dual-Fe sites stabilize the two OH^* ligands structure[Fe₂(OH)₂-N₆-C], which act as the active sites during ORR process, resulting in greatly improved ORR performance with a limiting potential of 0.90 V. This study suggests that the dual-atom design is a potential strategy to improve the ORR performance of SACs, in which the activity of the single atom active sites is limited with weak or strong oxygen affinity.     

PDDA修饰的碳纳米管载铂电催化剂的合成及其在碱性条件下的氧气还原反应催化性能

采用长链聚合物聚二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵(PDDA)对多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)进行修饰,并将采用胶体法还原出的铂(Pt)纳米粒子通过静电作用担载于PDDA修饰的多壁碳纳米管上,从而制备出Pt/PDDA/MWCNTs复合电催化剂.透射电镜(TEM)与X射线衍射(XRD)测试结果表明, Pt纳米粒子均匀地分布在MWCNTs的表面,其平均粒径约为3.6 nm.热失重分析显示催化剂的实际负载量为36%(w).旋转圆盘电极测试结果表明, Pt/PDDA/MWCNTs催化剂对碱性条件下的氧气还原反应(ORR)具有优异的催化活性.与负载量为40%(w)的商业Pt/C催化剂相比, Pt/PDDA/MWCNTs催化剂的氧气还原反应的起始电位和半波电位均正移约30 mV,其质量比活性更大.动力学研究结果进一步证实Pt/PDDA/MWCNTs催化剂比负载量为40%(w)的商业Pt/C催化剂在碱性条件下对氧气还原反应具有更优异的催化活性.     

氧还原反应前沿与进展

主要介绍氧还原反应的研究意义、反应机理以及研究现状。氧还原反应作为燃料电池的阴极反应,其能否高效进行将直接影响燃料电池的转化效率。目前,氧还原反应的反应机制仍存在较大争议,包括活性位点及反应步骤等。商业碳载铂虽然活性很高,然而其在实际应用中却会受到多方面限制。本文着重介绍了近些年报道的非金属及非贵金属催化剂。非金属及非贵金属催化剂在自然界中资源丰富、价格低廉、制备简单、导电性及稳定性良好,且不会被小分子毒化。所以,对非金属及非贵金属材料的氧还原研究可为新型能源装置的应用提供参考。     

An Overview on Pt3X Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The activity of Pt towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) can be enhanced by alloying it with secondary metals. They can be grouped into three different classes: alloys, bimetallics and intermetallics. Although alloys and bimetallics exhibit enhanced performance, often they are limited by metal dissolution and resulted in poor durability. This invokes the need on the development of ordered intermetallics. In this minireview we comprehensively present the recent progress and developments of Pt₃X alloys and intermetallics towards ORR. Additionally, major technical challenges and possible future research directions to overcome these challenges are discussed to facilitate further research in this area.     

Pt纳米线阵列的氧还原催化性能

采用阳极氧化铝(AAO)模板法电化学沉积制备了Pt纳米线阵列(Pt NWs)氧还原催化剂, 通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和电化学测试对Pt纳米线阵列催化剂的形貌和电催化性能进行了表征. 循环伏安法(CV)研究表明Pt纳米线阵列催化剂的电化学活性面积大于其几何面积; 旋转圆盘电极(RDE)测试研究发现, 制备的Pt纳米线阵列催化剂的氧还原反应(ORR)曲线的半波电势相对Pt/C的有正移, 并且Pt纳米线阵列催化剂的极限扩散电流比Pt/C大.     

Microwave Assisted Hydrothermal Way Towards Highly Crystalized N-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots and Their Oxygen Reduction Performance

We proposed a green microwave-assisted hydrothermal way to synthesize highly crystalized N-doped carbon quantum dots(N-CQDs).The N-CQDs obtained by this microwave method have good crystalline degree(ID/IG=0.6)and a high molar ratio of N/C(11.1%)comparing with those obtained from traditional top-down method.The experimental results show that glycerine plays a key role ill the fonnation of highly crystalized N-CQDs.The as-prepared N-CQDs have good luminescent property and may be utilized as fluorescent probe to detect ions or mark cells.As the majority of N atoms in the N-CQDs were pyridinic type(64.8%),the as-prepared N-CQDs were used as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysis in the anode of the fuel cell(the onset potential is-0.121V),which was a 4e-transfer procedure and the catalyst showed good stability after 100 cycles.     

多壁碳纳米管负载Pt-Au电催化剂的微波合成及其催化氧还原性质

采用微波还原法合成了具有较小的纳米颗粒以及较高的分散程度的纳米Pt-Au复合多壁碳纳米管(Pt-Au/MWCNTs)电催化剂. 利用旋转圆盘电极(RDE)技术对Pt-Au/MWCNTs电催化剂在0.1 mol•L−1 HClO4溶液中的催化氧还原的动力学进行了研究. 结果表明, Pt和Au的质量比为1:2时, 表现出对氧气较好的催化还原活性.     

Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction Fe-N-C Cathode in Long-durable Direct Glycol Fuel Cells

The oxygen reduction reaction in direct glycol fuel cells heavily relies on noble metal-based electrocatalysts. In this work, novel Pt group metal-free catalysts based on porous Fe-N-C materials are successfully synthesized as catalysts with high activity and durability for the cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Through the encapsulation of NH₄SCN salt, the surface elements and pore structure of the catalyst are effectively changed, and the active sites of Fe effectively are increased. The half-wave potential of the best Fe-N-C catalyst was –0.02 V vs. Hg/HgO in an alkaline environment. The porous Fe-N-C catalyst possesses a large specific surface area(1158 m²/g) and shows good activity and tolerance to glycol. The direct glycol fuel cell with the Fe-N-C cathode achieved a maximum power density of 62.2 mW/cm² with 4 mol/L KOH and 4 mol/L glycol solution at 25 °C and maintained discharge for more than 250 h at a 50 A/cm² current density.     

石墨烯负载Pt催化剂的制备及催化氧还原性能

采用直接化学还原法, 以金属钠为还原剂, 四氯乙烯为碳源, 在石蜡油中不经氧化石墨(GO)和氧化石墨烯(GrO)而直接制备石墨烯(Gr), 然后将Pt纳米粒子担载在Gr基体上, 得到Pt/Gr催化剂, 并对其催化氧还原(OR)性能进行了研究. 通过X射线衍射(XRD), 透射电镜(TEM)和电化学测试对合成催化剂的结构、形貌和电化学性质进行了表征. 实验结果表明: 所制备的Pt/Gr催化剂具有较好的分散性, 平均粒径为3.1 nm; 氧还原起始电位比商业JM-Pt/C催化电极正移了24 mV; 交换电流密度达到1×10^-3 mA·cm^-2, 是商业JM-Pt/C催化电极的2.5倍.     

石墨烯负载Pt催化剂的制备及催化氧还原性能

采用直接化学还原法, 以金属钠为还原剂, 四氯乙烯为碳源, 在石蜡油中不经氧化石墨(GO)和氧化石墨烯(GrO)而直接制备石墨烯(Gr), 然后将Pt纳米粒子担载在Gr基体上, 得到Pt/Gr催化剂, 并对其催化氧还原(OR)性能进行了研究. 通过X射线衍射(XRD), 透射电镜(TEM)和电化学测试对合成催化剂的结构、形貌和电化学性质进行了表征. 实验结果表明: 所制备的Pt/Gr催化剂具有较好的分散性, 平均粒径为3.1 nm; 氧还原起始电位比商业JM-Pt/C催化电极正移了24 mV; 交换电流密度达到1×10^-3 mA·cm^-2, 是商业JM-Pt/C催化电极的2.5倍.     

Au@Pt纳米粒子催化O2还原反应的电化学研究

以100 nm的Au粒子为核,抗坏血酸为还原剂,H2PtCl6·6H2O为前驱体,合成了Pt包Au核壳结构纳米粒子( Au@ Pt)及其修饰的玻碳(GC)电极(Au@ Pt/GC).采用旋转圆盘电极等常规电化学方法,比较了Au@ Pt/GC和商用碳载铂(Pt/C)修饰的玻碳电极(Pt/C/GC)催化O2还原反应活性及耐甲醇性能,发现Au@ Pt纳米粒子在铂用量很低的情况下,其催化O2还原反应活性仍与商用Pt/C相当,而且还具有优良的耐甲醇性能;其催化O2还原反应机理按O2直接还原成H2O的四电子历程进行.     

Electrocatalysis of Cyclic Voltammetrically Prepared Co‐MnO2 Composite towards Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR)

For the first time, cobalt particles were electrodeposited on the surface of manganese oxides by cyclic voltammetry (CV) from an aqueous solution of 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ containing 5 mM CoSO₄, and then the samples obtained were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDAX), respectively. And then, the as‐prepared Co/MnO₂‐coated graphite electrode was employed to the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Interestingly, the reduction peak potential of ORR on a Co/MnO₂‐modified graphite electrode was positively shifted for about 100 mV as compared with that on a MnO₂‐modified graphite electrode, indicating that the electrocatalysis of Co/MnO₂ composite towards ORR is superior to that of pure MnO₂.     

Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) on Huge Gold (Au) Particles Prepared by a Pyrolysis Process of AuCl3 Dissolved in Distilled Water in the Presence of MWCNTs

Gold (Au) huge particles were prepared by a pyrolysis process of AuCl₃ dissolved in distilled water in the presence of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the obtained samples. The results showed that Au huge particles with a diameter close to 500 nm were fabricated. The electrocatalytic performance of the huge Au particles modified graphite electrode in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV). It indicated that the pyrolysis time was a key factor that can affect the electrocatalysis of Au huge particles towards ORR. Developing a novel and simple method of pyrolysis for fabricating Au huge particles is the main contribution of this work, which will be very helpful in the preparation of Au huge particles on a large scale.     

氢钼青铜对铂催化氧还原反应的促进作用

采用循环伏安法在玻碳电极上和硫酸溶液中电沉积制备出铂催化剂(Pt)及铂-氢钼青铜复合催化剂(Pt-HxMoO3), 用旋转圆盘电极研究并比较了它们对硫酸溶液中氧还原反应的催化活性. 研究结果表明, HxMoO3能明显地提高Pt对氧还原反应的电催化活性. 通过对静态电极上氧还原的峰电流与扫描速度的关系以及旋转圆盘电极上氧还原电流与旋转速度的关系的分析发现, HxMoO3提高了铂电极氧还原反应电荷传递步骤的传递系数, 因此加快了氧还原的动力学过程.     

2D Hexagonal Boron Nitride (2D‐hBN) Explored as a Potential Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Crystalline 2D hexagonal Boron Nitride (2D‐hBN) is explored as a potential electrocatalyst towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) when electrically wired via a drop‐casting approach upon a range of carbon based electrode surfaces; namely, glassy carbon (GC), boron‐doped diamond (BDD), and screen‐printed graphitic electrodes (SPEs). We consider the ORR in acidic conditions and critically evaluate the performance of unmodified and 2D‐hBN modified electrodes, implementing coverage studies (commonly neglected in the literature) in order to ascertain the true impact of this novel nanomaterial. The behaviour of 2D‐hBN towards the ORR is shown to be highly dependent upon both the underlying carbon substrate and the coverage/mass utilised. 2D‐hBN modified SPEs are found to exhibit the most beneficial response towards the ORR, reducing the peak potential by ca . 0.28 V when compared to an unmodified/bare SPE. Such improvements at this supporting substrate are inferred due to favourable 2D‐hBN interaction with ridged surfaces exposing a high proportion of edge regions/sites, where conversely, we show that relatively smooth substrate surfaces (such as GC) are less conducive towards successful 2D‐hBN immobilisation. In this paper, we reveal for the first time (in the specific case of using a rough supporting substrate) that 2D‐hBN gives rise to beneficial electrochemical behaviour towards the ORR. Unfortunately, this material is not considered an electrocatalyst for use within fuel cells given that the estimated number of electrons transferred during the ORR ranges between 1.90–2.45 for different coverages, indicating that the ORR at 2D‐hBN predominantly produces hydrogen peroxide. 2D‐hBN does however have potential and should be explored further by those designing, fabricating and consequently electrochemically testing modified electrocatalysts towards the ORR.     

Cyclic Voltammetrically Prepared MnO2‐Polyaniline Composite and Its Electrocatalysis for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR)

The composite of manganese dioxide‐polyaniline (MnO₂‐PANI) was successfully prepared by cyclic voltammetry (CV) from a 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution containing 0.2 M aniline and 0.5 M MnSO₄. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that cauliflower like manganese dioxides entangled with PANI were generated. The spectra obtained from UV‐vis spectrophotometry (UV‐vis) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) strongly demonstrated that this novel composite was composed by MnO₂ and PANI, and also there was an interaction between MnO₂ and PANI. Then, for the first time, this resultant composite was modified on a graphite electrode and employed in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), subsequently, the obtained cyclic voltammograms (CVs) verified that ORR could proceed on this resultant composite of MnO₂‐PANI. Lastly, the possible catalysis mechanism of MnO₂‐PANI towards ORR was proposed based on the results we acquired. Developing a novel substrate on which ORR could proceed is the main contribution of this work.     

碳载钴酞菁催化剂的一步法制备及其在碱性条件下对氧的电催化还原

通过固相加热,一步合成了以VulcanXC-72(碳黑)为载体的碳载钴酞菁(CoPc/C)复合催化剂,其可用作空气电极的氧还原催化剂。通过X射线衍射、红外光谱等测试技术对催化剂进行了表征。利用极化曲线和交流阻抗(EIS)方法测试了其在碱性介质(6mol/LKOH)中对氧还原的催化性能。结果显示,得到的产物为CoPc/C复合物,平均粒径30nm。以磷酸处理的碳黑为载体,在600℃下制备的CoPc/C复合催化剂表现出最佳的催化活性。以其制备的电极在空气气氛下-0.03V(Hg/HgO)电位时即可产生明显氧还原电流,-0.2V时电流密度达90×10-3A/cm2。     

Dealloyed Silver Nanoparticles as Efficient Catalyst Towards Oxygen Reduction in Alkaline Solution

Silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs) were prepared by dealloying Mg-Ag alloy precursor. The obtained Ag NPs have an average ligament size of (50±10) nm. Electrocatalytic activity of Ag NPs towards oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) in 0.1 mol/L NaOH solution was assessed via cyclic voltammetry(CV), rotating ring disk elec-trode(RRDE) techniques, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS). The electrochemical active area for the ORR was evaluated by means of the charge of the underpotential deposition(UPD) of lead(Pb) on Ag NPs. The CV results indicate that Ag NPs have a higher current density and more positive onset potential than the bulk Ag electrode. RRDE was employed to determine kinetic parameters for O₂ reduction. Ag NPs exhibit a higher kinetic current density of 25.84 mA/cm² and a rate constant of 5.45×10^-2 cm/s at -0.35 V vs. Hg/HgO. The number of electrons(n) involved in ORR is close to 4. Further, EIS data show significantly low charge transfer resistances on the Ag NPs electrode. The results indicate that the prepared Ag NPs have a high activity and are promising catalyst for ORR in alkaline solution.     

Highly Active Electrocatalyst Derived from ZIF-8 Decorated with Iron(III) and Cobalt(III) Porphyrin Toward Efficient Oxygen Reduction in Both Alkaline and Acidic Media

Zeolite imidazole frameworks 8(ZIF-8) and modified ones after pyrolysis are highly promising toward oxygen reduction reaction(ORR). Especially, the compositional modification of ZIF-8 is crucial to the enhancement of ORR performance, yet limited to the substitution of skeletal Zn(II) with other cations or simple physical adsorption of cations. Herein, we report the decoration of ZIF-8 with ORR active hemin(FeP) and Co(III) protoporphyrin(CoP) via the coordination between the peripheral carboxylic group of FeP and CoP with skeletal Zn(II). This allows well control over the quantity of loaded FeP and CoP, critical to the synthesis of advanced electrocatalysts. Subsequent pyrolysis of FeP and CoP co-decorated ZIF-8 leads to highly active ORR electrocatalysts with a half-wave potential(E_1/2) of 0. 913 V(vs. RHE) in 0.1 mol/L KOH aq. and an E_1/2 of 0.803 V(vs. RHE) in 0.1 mol/L HClO₄ aq. Moreover, our electrocatalyst shows much more improved and comparable durability in alkaline and acidic media, respectively, during 3000 cycles of cyclic voltammetry(CV) scanning relative to commercial Pt/C.