Hidden in plain sight: unlocking the full potential of cyclic voltammetry with the thin-film rotating (ring) disk electrode studies for the investigation of oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts

Cyclic voltammetry conducted with a thin-film rotating disk electrode, or ring-disk electrode (CV-TF-R(R)DE) is a very popular ‘ex situ’ tool for the rapid screening of electrocatalysts for their activity in oxygen reduction reaction. Despite its popularity and broad use, in most instances only a small part of the information that could be accessed by CV-TF-R(R)DE is actually used by scientists in their research. This work outlines both innovative and more traditional (but half-forgotten) ways of using CV-TF-R(R)DE to its optimal or full potential in the ongoing quest to study the most relevant features of oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts and quickly identify the most promising candidates for their applications in fuel cells or other electrochemical devices.     

A new strategy to access Co/N co-doped carbon nanotubes as oxygen reduction reaction catalysts

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs),as one-dimensional nanomaterials,show great potential in energy conversion and storage due to their efficient electrical conductivity and mass transfer.However,the security risks,time-consuming and high cost of the preparation process hinder its further application.Here,we develop that a negative pressure rather than a following gas environment can promote the generation of cobalt and nitrogen co-doped CNTs(Co/N-CNTs) by using cobalt zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-67) as a precursor,in which the negative pressure plays a key role in adjusting the size of cobalt nanoparticles and stimulating the rearragement of carbon atoms for forming CNTs.Importantly,the obtained Co/N-CNTs,with high content of pyridinic nitrogen and abundant graphitized structure,exhibit superior catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) with half-wave potential(E_1/2) of 0.85 V and durability in terms of the minimum current loss(2%) after the 30,000 s test.Our development provides a new pathway for large-scale and cost-effective preparation of metal-doped CNTs for various applications.     

Spin polarisation in dual catalysts for the oxygen evolution and reduction reactions

Strongly correlated catalysts can be understood from precise quantum approximations. Incorporating properly electronic correlations thus let’s define Spin rules in catalysis, opening a new door towards optimum compositions for the most important reactions for a sustainable future.     

Electrocatalytic activity of starch/Fe3O4/zeolite bionanocomposite for oxygen reduction reaction

The present work demonstrated an eco-friendly and facile method for the preparation of starch/Fe₃O₄/zeolite-bionanocomposite (BNC) at moderate temperature. Zeolite and starch were used as solid support and stabilizer, respectively. The analysis of UV–vis showed the appearance of surface plasmon resonance. From PXRD analysis, the incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) in zeolite substrate results in reducing of intensities and broadening of the zeolite peaks of BNC. The TEM analysis showed the formation of highly distributed Fe₃O₄-NPs with an average diameter and standard deviation of 9.24 ± 3.57 nm. The FESEM and EDX analyses imply that Fe₃O₄-NPs were homogeneously formed on the surface of the zeolite substrate. VSM analysis illustrated the as prepared BNC possessed magnetic behaviour with a saturation magnetization and coercivity of 1.84 emu g⁻¹ and 17.76 G, respectively. The prepared BNC showed potential applicability in energy as low-cost electrode material. The BNC was used as a non-precious catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the alkaline medium. The presence of starch and zeolite promoted long term stability up to 1000 cycles and avoid the dissolution and agglomeration of iron oxide. The ORR commences at the onset potential of 0 V follows by the two successive reduction peaks at −0.48 V and −1.00 V.     

Fe/N/C氧还原催化剂的热稳定性及活性位结构

研制高活性的Fe/N/C氧还原催化剂对于降低燃料电池成本、实现商业化应用有重要意义. 为了实现Fe/N/C催化剂的理性设计,需要深入研究其活性位结构. 本文我们发展一种研究活性位结构的新策略,即以预先合成好的聚间苯二胺基Fe/N/C催化剂(PmPDA-FeNx/C)为起始物,对其在1000~1500 ^oC高温下再次进行热处理并使其失活,通过关联催化剂热处理前后的结构变化与氧还原催化性能来揭示活性位结构. 实验结果表明,随着热处理温度升高,活性中心结构被破坏,铁原子析出团聚并形成纳米颗粒,氮元素挥发损失,导致催化剂失活. XPS分析显示,低结合能含氮物种的含量与催化剂的ORR活性呈良好的正相关性,表明活性中心很可能是由吡啶N和Fe-N物种构成的.     

Fluorescence detection of hydroxyl radical generated from oxygen reduction on Fe/N/C catalyst

Pyrolyzed Fe/N/C catalyst has been considered as the most promising candidate to replace Pt for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) in fuel cells.However,poor stability of Fe/N/C catalyst,mainly attributed to the oxidation corrosion by aggressive ·OH radical,severely hampers its applications.However,the exact mechanism for generation of ·OH is unclear yet.Herein,we developed a fluorescent method to effectively detect ·OH generated from ORR on Fe/N/C catalyst by using coumarin as a fluorescent probe.A great difference in potential dependence between ·OH and H2O2 generated from the ORR was observed,which suggests that ·OH is not generated from the decomposition of H2O2 as traditional viewpoint.     

Fe,Cu-codoped metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts with high selectivity and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction

Metal-nitrogen-carbon materials(M-N-C) are non-noble-metal-based alternatives to platinum-based catalysts and have attracted tremendous attention due to their low-cost,high abundance,and efficient catalytic performance towards the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).Among them,Fe-based materials show remarkable ORR activity,but they are limited by low selectivity and low stability.To address these issues,herein,we have synthesized FeCu-based M-N-C catalysts,inspired by the bimetal center of cytochrome c oxidase(CcO).In acidic media,the selectivity was notably improved compared with Febased materials,with peroxide yields less than 1.2%(<1/3 of the hydrogen peroxide yields of Fe-N-C catalysts).In addition to Cu-N-C catalysts which can catalytically reduce hydrogen peroxide,the reduction current of hydrogen peroxide using FeCu-N-C-20 exceeded that of Fe-N-C by about 6% when the potential was greater than 0.4 V.Furthermore,FeCu-based M-N-C catalysts suffered from only a15 mV attenuation in their half-wave potentials after 10,000 cycles of accelerated degradation tests(ADT),while there was a 30 mV negative shift for Fe-N-C.Therefore,we propose that the H₂O₂ released from Fe-Nx sites or N-doped carbon sites would be reduced by adjacent Cu-Nx sites,re sulting in low H₂O₂ yields and high stability.     

甲醇浓度对Pt/C催化剂氧还原活性的影响

采用半池考察了Pt/C催化剂在含不同浓度甲醇的0.5mol/L硫酸中的氧还原活性(ORR).研究发现,当甲醇浓度为0.1mol/L时,Pt/C催化剂的ORR活性最高,在催化层上热压商品NafionNRE-212膜后也出现同样趋势.线性扫描伏安曲线显示,压膜前后的Pt/C催化剂的ORR活性在含0.1mol/L甲醇的0.5mol/L硫酸中几乎没有变化.电化学阻抗谱结果表明,在该溶液中,Nafion膜的电阻比在其它电解液中低,这可能是导致Pt/C催化剂ORR活性提高的主要原因.有必要关注Nafion膜的这一异常性质并通过特殊设计后用于电池堆,以提高燃料电池性能.     

Electrocatalytic activity of non-precious metal catalyst Co-N/C toward oxygen reduction reaction

<正>Metallic cobalt was deposited on acetylene black to synthesize a composite Co/C by chemical reduction method.A platinumfree electrocatalyst Co-N/C(800) for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) was synthesized by mixing the composite Co/C with urea and heat-treating at 800℃.The results from linear sweep voltammograms indicated that the Co-N/C(800) is active to ORR.Theβ-Co and cobalt oxides are not the active site of the catalyst Co-N/C.However,the existence of cobalt facilitated the modification of nitrogen to carbon black and led to the formation of active site of catalyst Co-N/C(800).     

MOF(Fe)的制备及其氧气还原催化性能

以硝酸铁为金属离子前驱体、均苯三甲酸为有机配体,采用水热法合成了金属有机骨架MOF（Fe）催化剂,应用X射线衍射、N₂吸附-脱附、透射电镜、红外光谱和热重等方法对催化剂的结构进行了表征,并采用循环伏安法测试了催化剂在碱性电解质中的氧气还原（ORR）催化性能,同时也采用旋转圆盘电极进一步研究了催化剂的ORR的动力学行为.?结果表明,所制MOF（Fe）具有很好的晶型结构、大比表面积、丰富的微孔以及较高的热稳定性. 且表现出很好的ORR催化活性. ORR的反应历程随电位的改变而改变：电位在-0.3到0.50 V范围内,ORR为2电子途径;随着电位从-0.50 V升至-0.95 V,ORR从2电子向4电子途径转变. 另外,该催化剂在碱性电解质中也表现出较好的氧气析出（OER）催化性能,这为制备用于ORR和OER的高效非贵金属催化剂提供了新的途径.     

高活性和高稳定性的核壳结构PtPx@Pt/C催化氧还原

在质子交换膜燃料电池中,金属铂是最高效的阴极氧还原催化剂之一,但是铂昂贵的价格严重阻碍了其在燃料电池领域中的大规模商业化应用.通过铂与3d过渡金属(Fe、Co和Ni)合金化可以有效提高催化剂的氧还原活性,然而在实际的高腐蚀性、高电压和高温的燃料电池运行环境中,铂合金纳米粒子易发生溶解、迁移和团聚,从而导致催化剂耐久性差.同时过渡金属离子的溶出会影响质子交换膜的质子传导,并且一些过渡金属离子会催化芬顿反应,产生高腐蚀性?OH自由基,加快Nafion和催化剂的劣化.与过渡金属掺杂相比,非金属掺杂具有明显优势:一方面,非金属溶出产生的阴离子不会取代Nafion中的质子,也不会催化芬顿反应;另一方面,与3d过渡金属相比,非金属具有更高的电负性,其掺杂很容易调节Pt的电子结构.因此,本文通过非金属磷掺杂合成具有优异稳定性的核壳结构PtPx@Pt/C氧还原催化剂.通过热处理磷化商业碳载铂形成磷化铂(PtP2),经由酸洗处理产生富铂壳层,即PtPx@Pt/C.X射线粉末多晶衍射结果证明了PtP2相的存在,并且进一步通过电子能量损失谱对纳米粒子进行微区面扫描分析以及X射线光电子能谱分析证实了富铂壳层的存在,壳层厚度约1 nm.得益于核壳结构及磷掺杂引起的电子结构效应,PtP1.4@Pt/C催化剂在0.90 V(RHE)时的面积活性(0.62 mA cm–2)与质量活性(0.31 mAμgPt–1)分别是商业Pt/C的2.8倍和2.1倍.更重要的是,在加速耐久性测试中,PtP1.4@Pt/C催化剂在30000圈电位循环后质量活性仅衰减6％,在90000圈电位循环后仅衰减25％;而商业Pt/C催化剂在30000圈电位循环后就衰减46％.PtP1.4@Pt/C催化剂高活性与高稳定性主要归功于核壳结构、磷掺杂引起的电子结构效应以及磷掺杂增加了碳载体对催化剂粒子的锚定作用进而阻止了其迁移团聚.综上所述,本文为设计同时具有优异活性与稳定性非金属掺杂Pt基氧还原催化剂提供新的思路.     

基于数据挖掘对商业氧还原电催化剂Pt/C测试的综合分析

近几十年来,聚合物电解质膜燃料电池(PEMFC)因其在零排放汽车、固定式和便携式发电设备中的应用而得到迅速发展.燃料电池的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)和阳极氢氧化反应(HOR)常用的催化剂为Pt基催化剂,因此整个燃料电池系统的成本高昂.而ORR的反应速率比HOR慢得多,阴极上的Pt消耗量远高于阳极上.为了降低燃料电池Pt的...     

高质量和深度凹陷的PtPdNi纳米立方体作为高效氧还原反应的催化剂

聚合物电解质燃料电池阴极上的氧还原反应需要使用铂基催化剂,铂是地球上的贵金属之一.采用将不同的金属优化到核心中等多种策略可提高铂基催化剂的活性,从而降低铂的负载量.通过致力于高催化活性Pt2.7Pd0.3Ni凹面立方结构与高指数晶面的复合,表明凹面结构可以提供更多的活性位和高水平的催化活性,如果与其他金属复合,可以降低...     

氧还原和析氧反应的双功能电催化剂--氮磷共掺碳负载四氧化三钴

金属-空气电池具备诸多优势,譬如绿色环保、能量转化率高、启动快速、能量密度高、使用寿命和干态存储时间长等.与燃料电池相比,金属-空气电池结构简单,放电电压平稳,成本低,但依然存在一些制约发展的问题,如阴极催化剂.阴极催化剂在金属-空气电池中发挥催化氧还原反应(oxygen reduction reaction, ORR)和析氧反应(oxygen evolution reac-tion, OER)的关键作用.铂及其合金常用作 ORR的单功能催化剂,而钌和铱等是目前 OER催化效率最高的,但 ORR活性很低,因此需要开发出一种廉价而又具备双功能催化作用的催化剂.单异原子掺杂的碳基催化剂的研究集中在 ORR催化性能上,而多异原子共掺碳最近有研究表明具有双催化氧的性质,如氮磷共掺碳.在这些氮磷共掺的碳架中,氮磷共掺物起着 OER催化作用,掺氮物为 ORR催化的活性位点,而掺磷物起着强化作用.异原子掺杂负载的钴基催化剂(如掺氮还原氧化石墨烯载 Co3O4)是近年来双功能催化剂研究的另一个热点.钴基催化剂有着催化 ORR和 OER的多价价态,然而其本身导电性能差,这一缺陷可通过杂化石墨化碳来弥补,石墨化碳有着优良的导电性能.据我们所知,目前仍没有关于氮磷共掺碳负载的 Co3O4双催化氧的研究.我们合成了氮磷共掺碳(NPC)负载的 Co3O4(Co3O4/NPC),并首次探索了其氧还原和析氧性能. Co3O4/NPC合成分两步进行.首先通过三聚氰胺与植酸之间的酯化或缩聚覆盖在导电炭黑颗粒表面,在保护气氛下焙烧得到 NPC,然后经溶剂热反应以及空气中氧化合成 Co3O4/NPC.催化剂的性能综合考虑了催化活性和稳定性两方面.采用线性扫描伏安法评估了 OER和 ORR的催化活性.对于 OER, Co3O4/NPC的起始电势是0.54 V (以饱和甘汞电极为参比电极),在0.80 V时电流密度达到21.95 mA/cm2,均优于 Co3O4/C和 NPC. Co3O4/NPC的高效 OER催化可归因于氮磷共掺物与 Co3O4之间的协同作用.对于 ORR, Co3O4/NPC的催化效率与商用 Pt/C相近,它们的扩散极限电流密度分别为–4.49和–4.76 mA/cm2(E =–0.80 V).在 ORR过程中, Co3O4起到主要的催化作用.采用计时电流(电流-时间)法评估了催化剂的稳定性.经6 h测定,对于 OER, Co3O4/NPC剩46%电流;而对于 ORR,剩95%电流.整体而言, Co3O4/NPC在 OER和 ORR中都表现出高的催化效率以及良好的稳定性.     

A facile template approach for the synthesis of mesoporous Fe3C/Fe-Ndoped carbon catalysts for efficient and durable oxygen reduction reaction

Layer-structured FeOCl was used as a novel inorganic template and the Fe doping source for the facile synthesis of three-dimensional polypyrrole structures which can be converted into mesoporous Fe₃C/Fe-N-doped carbon catalysts for efficient and robust oxygen reduction reaction.     

Facile oxygen reduction on a three-dimensionally ordered macroporous graphitic C3N4/carbon composite electrocatalyst

Honeycomb catalysis: a facile oxygen reduction reaction has been observed on a graphitic C(3)N(4)/carbon catalyst with three-dimensional interconnected macropores (see picture with SiO(2) template). This material not only shows catalytic activity that is comparable to that of commercial Pt/C, but also has much higher organic-fuel tolerance and long-term stability.     

PtCeOx/C as a novel methanol-tolerant electrocatalyst of oxygen reduction for direct methanol fuel cells

A prominent methanol-tolerant characteristic of the PtCeO_x/C electrocatalyst was found during oxygen reduction reaction process. The carbon-supported platinum modified with cerium oxide (PtCeO_x/C) as cathode electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells was prepared via a simple and effective route. The synthesized electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the cerium oxide within PtCeO_x/C present in an amorphous form on the carbon support surface and the PtCeO_x/C possesses almost similar disordered morphological structure and slightly smaller particle size compared with the unmodified Pt/C catalyst.     

Electrochemical reactions at the electrode/solution interface:Theory and applications to water electrolysis and oxygen reduction

Theoretical simulations on complex electrochemical processes have been developed on the basis of the understanding in electrochemistry,which has benefited from quantum mechanics calculations.This article reviews the recent progress on the theory and applications in electrocatalysis.Two representative reactions,namely water electrolysis and oxygen reduction,are selected to illustrate how the theoretical methods are applied to electrocatalytic reactions.The microscopic nature of these electrochemical reaction...     

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.