Insights into Nitrogen-doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction: The Role of Graphitic and Pyridinic Nitrogen Species

Nitrogen-doped carbons (N/Cs) manifest good catalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell systems. However, to date, controversies remain on the role of active sites in N/Cs. In the present study, ORR test was conducted on three N/Cs in O₂-saturated 0.1 M KOH aqueous solution, where apparent linear correlation between graphitic N contents and ORR activity was observed. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that graphitic N doping is energetically more favorable than that of pyridinic N doping for ORR and the pyridinic N leads to more preferential with 2 e^– ORR pathway. These results reveal that graphitic N plays a key role in N/Cs mediated ORR activity. This work lays a solid foundation on identifying the active sites in heteroatom-doped carbons and can be exploited for rational design and engineering of effective carbon-based ORR catalysts.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Pyridine-Based Benzoxazines and Their Carbons

Novel benzoxazines were synthesized to prepare nitrogen-doped carbons with high nitrogen content. Monomers (2pd, 3pd) were successfully synthesized from aminopyridine, orth-hydroxybenzaldehyde and paraformaldehyde. Their chemical structures were confirmed via Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR. The thermogravimetric analysis and elemental analysis results demonstrated that the cured benzoxazines had high char yield and their carbides had high nitrogen content. The nitrogen configurations of the carbons obtained from pyridine-based benzoxazines were pyridinic N, pyrrolic N and graphitic N, which were the active centers in nitrogen-doped carbons. We believe that these pyridine-based benzoxazines will be applied as the precursors for functional carbon materials in many fields such as hydrogen storage, fuel cell and supercapacitor.     

碳基非贵金属氧还原电催化剂的活性位结构研究进展

以热解型Fe/N/C为代表的碳基非贵金属材料被认为是当前最具潜力替代铂的非贵金属氧还原催化剂,其综合性能的进一步突破,对于推动质子交换膜燃料电池商业化应用具有重要意义。对热解型Fe/N/C催化剂活性位结构的深入认识是实现催化剂高活性位密度和高稳定性理性设计的关键。本文总结了热解型Fe/N/C活性位的研究进展,重点介绍了非晶态铁氮配位活性中心、氮掺杂和碳缺陷三类活性位构型。由于热解型Fe/N/C是非均相的,结构非常复杂,导致在活性位认识上还存在诸多争议,本文总结阐述了活性位结构的不同观点。最后,我们展望了Fe/N/C催化剂活性位研究的未来方向。     

A facile approach for constructing nitrogen-doped carbon layers over carbon nanotube surface for oxygen reduction reaction

Fabricating nitrogen-doped carbon layers over the conductive substrate is a cost-effective and efficient approach to develop practical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. In the current work, relying on the commercially available carbon nanotube (CNT), nitrogen-doped carbon layers over CNT is constructed by annealing the in situ formed complex over the CNT surface derived from iron ion inducing diaminonaphthalene (DAN) polymerization and DAN self-polymerization. Physical and electrochemical characterizations are carefully conducted to comparatively analyze the structure and activity relationship. The significance of iron in constructing nitrogen-doped carbon layers and tuning active sites of N types over multiwall carbon nanotube for ORR is demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman scattering spectrum. The excellent performance of nitrogen-doped carbon layers over CNT (catalyzed by iron) towards ORR is displayed by rotating ring-disk electrode. Specifically, the onset potential, half-wave potential, and limiting current density are 0.961 V, 0.831 V, and 5.20 mA cm^?2 respectively, very close to the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst. Both high surface area and efficient N active sites should be considered in the nitrogen-doped carbon materials design and fabrication for ORR. Considering the large-scale availability, it has significant value in fuel cells commercial applications.     

Construction of Highly Active Metal-Containing Nanoparticles and FeCo-N4 Composite Sites for the Acidic Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Metal-containing nanoparticles (M-NPs) in metal/nitrogen-doped carbon (M-N-C) catalysts have been considered hostile to the acidic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The relation between M-NPs and the active sites of metal coordinated with nitrogen (MN_x) is hard to establish in acid medium owing to the poor stability of M-NPs. Herein, we develop a strategy to successfully construct a new FeCo-N-C catalyst containing highly active M-NPs and MN₄ composite sites (M/FeCo-SAs-N-C). Enhanced catalytic activity and stability of M/FeCo-SAs-N-C is shown experimentally. Calculations reveal that there is a strong interaction between M-NPs and FeN₄ sites, which can favor ORR by activating the O−O bond, thus facilitating a direct 4 e⁻ process. Those findings firstly shed light on the highly active M-NPs and FeN₄ composite sites for catalyzing acid oxygen reduction reaction, and the relevant reaction mechanism is suggested.     

Doping effect of boron and phosphorus on nitrogen-based mesoporous carbons as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in acid media

Doped mesoporous carbons comprising nitrogen, boron, and phosphorus (N, B, and P, respectively) were prepared as non-Pt catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an acidic solution. The N-doped carbons were varied to increase their catalytic activity through by additionally doping of B and P. All the mesoporous carbons were synthesized by carbonizing polyaniline at 900 °C for the N species, while the B and P species were inserted into the carbon structure at the carbon growth step. The linear sweep voltammogram recorded in the acidic solution showed that the ORR activity of the N-doped carbon catalysts increased significantly after the addition of B. An approximately 19 % increase in the pyridinic N content at the carbon surface was observed, along with B-N-C moieties with a binding energy of 399.5 eV. The non-precious metal ORR catalysts were prepared via pyrolysis, with the insertion of an additional transition metal (iron, Fe). The deconvoluted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the Fe-N peak was generated after the pyrolysis. The peak intensity of the quaternary N also increased compared with the pyridic and pyrrolic N, which indicates that Fe serves to catalyze the modification of N species. The numerical examinations showed that N- and B-doped mesoporous carbon (NBC) 1.5 % Fe had the highest limited current (4.94 mA/cm²), with the B-doped carbon still the most active mesoporous carbon catalyst for ORR. As a result, it can be said that Fe positively contributes to the formation of graphitic N, which is known to be an active site for ORR. The cyclic voltammetry results showed that the peak area of the NBC 1.5 % Fe catalyst was larger than that of the N-doped mesoporous carbon (NC) 1.5 % Fe catalyst. It was concluded that B doping enhances the ORR activity and the stability of carbon materials even after 1000 cycles under acidic conditions.     

Rational Synthesis of Iron/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Catalyst through a Spatial Isolation Strategy for Efficient Oxygen Reduction in Acidic and Alkaline Media

It remains challenging to rationally synthesize iron/nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe/N-C) catalysts with rich Fe−N_x atomic active sites for improved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis. A highly efficient Fe/N-C catalyst, which has been synthesized through a spatial isolation strategy, is reported. Derived from bioinspired polydopamine (PDA)-based hybrid microsphere precursors, it is a multifunctional carrier that loads atomically dispersed Fe³⁺/Zn²⁺ ions through coordination interactions and N-rich melamine through electrostatic attraction and covalent bonding. The Zn²⁺ ions and melamine in the precursor efficiently isolate Fe³⁺ atoms upon pyrolysis to form rich Fe−N_x atomic active sites, and generate abundant micropores during high-temperature treatment; as a consequence, the resultant Fe-N/C catalyst contains rich catalytically active Fe−N_x sites and a hierarchical porous structure. The catalyst exhibits improved ORR activity that is superior to and close to that of Pt/C in alkaline and acidic solutions, respectively.     

Understanding the Catalytic Sites of Metal–Nitrogen–Carbon Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

The development of low-cost catalysts containing earth-abundant elements as alternatives to Pt-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for the large-scale commercial application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Nonprecious metal–nitrogen–carbon (M-N-C) materials represent the most promising candidates to replace Pt-based catalysts for PEMFCs applications. However, the high-temperature pyrolysis process for the preparation of M-N-C catalysts frequently leads to high structural heterogeneity, that is, the coexistence of various metal-containing sites and N-doped carbon structures. Unfortunately, this impedes the identification of the predominant catalytic active structure, and thus, the further development of highly efficient M-N-C catalysts for the ORR. This Minireview, after a brief introduction to the development of M-N-C ORR catalysts, focuses on the commonly accepted views of predominant catalytic active structures in M-N-C catalysts, including atomically dispersed metal–N_x sites, metal nanoparticles encapsulated with nitrogen-doped carbon structures, synergistic action between metal–N_x sites and encapsulated metal nanoparticles, and metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon structures.     

A Defective Nanotube Molecule of C552H496N24 with Pyridinic and Pyrrolic Nitrogen Atoms

A 3-nm molecule comprising a cylindrical core and cross-shaped rims was designed and synthesized by developing a modular synthetic route. By using a cyclic precursor from previous studies as a starting material, multiple carbazole units were installed at the rims of the defective cylinder. The defective cylinder was synthetically doped with two types of nitrogen atoms, that is, pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen atoms, which resulted in solvatochromic shifts in fluorescence by charge-transfer interactions. The structure of the large, C₅₅₂H₄₉₆N₂₄ molecule was fully disclosed by crystallographic analyses, and the unique helical arrangement of nitrogen-doped cylinders in the crystal was revealed.     

Fe/Cu修饰氮掺杂碳纳米管的构筑及催化性能

通过简单的原位化学合成法结合离子交换法制备了Cu修饰氮掺杂碳（Cu-N-C）和Fe/Cu修饰氮掺杂碳纳米管（Fe/Cu-N-C/CNT）,并系统评估了2种催化剂作为染料敏化太阳能电池（dye-sensitized solar cells,DSSCs）对电极在I₃^-/I^-体系中的电化学特性和光伏性能。采用X射线衍射（XRD）、拉曼（Raman）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）和场发射扫描电镜（FESEM）对合成的催化剂进行组分和形貌表征。结果表明：纳米管状的Fe/Cu-N-C/CNT的石墨化程度比纳米颗粒状的Cu-N-C更高,更有利于I₃^-还原反应中电荷的传输。光伏性能测试结果表明：基于Fe/Cu-N-C/CNT对电极的DSSCs的光电能量转换效率（power conversion efficiency,PCE）达到7.55%,高于相同测试条件下Cu-N-C（6.99%）和Pt（6.76%）对电极的PCE。50圈连续循环伏安测试结果表明：Fe/Cu-N-C/CNT催化剂具有比Cu-N-C更好的电化学稳定性。     

14N nuclear quadrupole resonance in nicotinic acid derivatives

Nitrogen-14 nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectra of nicotinic acid derivatives, known as antitumor agents, are reported and analyzed in the framework of the Townes and Dailey theory. A strong correlation exists between the charge difference σ_NC ? π at the pyridinic nitrogen and the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by nicotinic acid derivatives, in which the inhibition potency (pI₅₀) increases as the charge difference σ_NC ? π increases. There are significant differences between ¹⁴N NQR spectra for the pyridinic nitrogen sites of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide; these can be explained in terms of the differences in hydrogen bond lengths.     

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.     

香菇生物质基氮掺杂微孔碳材料的制备及其在超级电容器中的应用

采用简易浸泡法和一步碳化/活化法制备香菇生物质基氮掺杂微孔碳材料(NMCs),利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对材料的结构形貌进行表征,并研究了其超级电容特性。测试结果表明,NMCs的微孔比表面积高达1 594 m~2·g~(-1),且拥有更高数量的含氮官能团,其吡啶型含氮官能团比例也有所提高,展现出优异的超级电容特性。在0.5 A·g~(-1)的电流密度下,其比容量高达325 F·g~(-1),当电流密度上升到20 A·g~(-1)时,其比电容仍然高达180 F·g~(-1),表现出优异的倍率性能;同时,在5 A·g~(-1)的电流密度下,电极经历5 000次充放电循环后具有97.7%的比容量保持率,展现出优异的循环稳定性。这主要归因于NMCs超高的微孔比表面积和丰富的含氮官能团。     

Nitrogen-doped cobalt nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped plate-like ordered mesoporous carbons composites as noble-metal free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

In this work, nitrogen-doped cobalt nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped plate-like ordered mesoporous carbons(N/Co/OMCs) were used as noble-metal free electrocatalysts with high catalytic efficiency. Compared with OMCs with long channel length, due to more entrances for catalytic target accessibility and a short pathway for rapid diffusion, the utilization efficiency of cobalt nanoparticles inside the plate-like OMCs with short pore length is well improved, which can take full advantage of porous structure in electrocatalysis and increase the utilization of catalysts. The active sites in N/Co/OMCs for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) are highly exposed to oxygen molecule, which results in a high activity for ORR. By combination of the catalytic properties of nitrogen dopant, incorporation of Co nanoparticles, and structural properties of OMCs, the N/Co/plate-like OMCs are highly active noble-metal free catalysts for ORR in alkaline solution.     

A facile soft-template synthesis of nitrogen doped mesoporous carbons for hydrogen sulfide removal

A series of nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons (NMCs) were prepared using Pluronic F127 as a structure directing agent, phloroglucinol and formaldehyde as carbon precursor and dicyandiamide as nitrogen source. The obtained nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons possess high nitrogen content of 6.37–19.28 wt%. Due to the feature of high nitrogen contents, NMCs show superior H₂S adsorption performance with breakthrough sulfur capacity of 0.48 mmol g^?1 at room temperature and ambient pressure. It is revealed that in addition to the nitrogen content, nitrogen configuration and porosity of the carbon materials also influence significantly their sulfur capacity. This work offers a facile strategy for the synthesis of porous carbon materials with excellent performance in the adsorptive removal of H₂S.     

A powerful approach to fabricate nitrogen-doped graphene sheets with high specific surface area

This study develops a powerful strategy for fabricating the nitrogen-doped graphene sheets with good crystallinity, high specific surface area, and high percentages of pyridinic/graphitic-nitrogen structures. Due to the specified N-doping structures and high specific surface area of 719 m² g^− 1, our N-doped graphene sheets show an excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).     

3D Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel–Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

It is extremely desirable to explore high-efficient, affordable and robust oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable Zn–air batteries (ZABs). A 3D porous nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulated metallic Ni₃Fe alloy nanoparticles aerogel (Ni₃Fe-GA₁) was constructed through a facile hydrothermal assembly and calcination process. Benefiting from 3D porous configuration with great accessibility, high electrical conductivity, abundant active sites, optimal nitrogen content and strong electronic interactions at the Ni₃Fe/N-doped graphene heterointerface, the obtained aerogel showed outstanding catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Specifically, it exhibited an overpotential of 239 mV to attain 10 mA cm⁻² for OER, simultaneously providing a positive onset potential of 0.93 V within a half-wave potential of 0.8 V for ORR. Accordingly, when employed in the aqueous ZABs, Ni₃Fe-GA₁ achieved higher power density and superior reversibility than Pt/C−IrO₂ catalyst, making it a potential candidate for rechargeable ZABs.     

Ultrafine Co nanoparticles confined in nitrogen-doped carbon toward two-electron oxygen reduction reaction for H2O2 electrosynthesis in acidic media

Electrocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e^– ORR) under acidic condition has been considered to have great application value. Co nanoparticles (CoNPs) coupled with N-doped carbon are a class of potential electrocatalysts. The effective strategies to further enhance their performances are to improve the active sites and stability. Herein, the material containing ultrafine CoNPs confined in a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (NC@CoNPs) was synthesized by pyrolyzing corresponding precursors, which was obtained through regulating the topological structure of ZIF-67/ZIF-8 with dopamine (DA). The DA self-polymerization process induced the formation of CoNPs with smaller sizes and formed polydopamine film decreased the detachment of CoNPs from the catalyst. High density of Co-N_x active sites and defective sites could be identified on NC@CoNPs, leading to high activity and H₂O₂ selectivity, with an onset potential of 0.57 V (vs. RHE) and ∼90% selectivity in a wide potential range. An on-site electrochemical removal of organic pollutant was achieved rapidly through an electro-Fenton process, demonstrating its great promise for on-site water treatment application.     

Dual‐Template Pore Engineering of Whey Powder‐Derived Carbon as an Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalyst for Primary Zinc‐Air Battery

Cost‐effective and high‐performance electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) are needed for many energy storage and conversion devices. Here, we demonstrate that whey powder, a major by‐product in the dairy industry, can be used as a sustainable precursor to produce heteroatom doped carbon electrocatalysts for ORR. Rich N and S compounds in whey powders can generate abundant catalytic active sites. However, these sites are not easily accessible by reactants of ORR. A dual‐template method was used to create a hierarchically and interconnected porous structure with micropores created by ZnCl₂ and large mesopores generated by fumed SiO₂ particles. At the optimum mass ratio of whey power: ZnCl₂ : SiO₂ at 1 : 3 : 0.8, the resulting carbon material has a large specific surface area close to 2000 m² g^?1, containing 4.6 at.% of N with 39.7% as pyridinic N. This carbon material shows superior electrocatalytic activity for ORR, with an electron transfer number of 3.88 and a large kinetic limiting current density of 45.40 mA cm^?2. They were employed as ORR catalysts to assemble primary zinc‐air batteries, which deliver a power density of 84.1 mW cm^?2 and a specific capacity of 779.5 mAh g^?1, outperforming batteries constructed using a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Our findings open new opportunities to use an abundant biomaterial, whey powder, to create high‐value‐added carbon electrocatalysts for emerging energy applications.     

One-step synthesis of nitrogen-doped porous carbon for supercapacitors utilizing KNO<Subscript>3</Subscript> as an electrolyte

Nitrogen-doped porous carbons were prepared using a facile method, with low-biotechnology fulvic acid potassium salts as a precursor. The prepared carbons had a high surface area (1623 m² g^?1) and good electrochemical properties, making them suitable electrode materials for supercapacitors. Nitrogen-doped porous carbons were tested as an electrode in both 6 M KOH aqueous solution and different concentrations KNO₃ aqueous solution. The nitrogen-doped porous carbons with unique microstructure and nitrogen functionalities exhibited a capacitance of 235 F g^?1 in a 6 M KOH aqueous solution. Electrochemical investigation showed that the nitrogen-doped porous carbons exhibited a broad potential operational window in a 2.5 M KNO₃ aqueous solution. Furthermore, a high capacitance retention of 88.1 % was achieved even after 5000 cycles at 1.7 V. Potassium nitrate solutions in a wide range of concentrations were also proven to be promising electrolytes for electrochemical capacitors because they are cheap, noncorrosive, electrochemically stable, and compatible to diverse current collectors.