铁氮掺杂对石墨烯担载铂催化剂氧还原反应活性的影响

高氧还原活性担载铂催化剂的研发是加快质子交换膜燃料电池商业化进程的主要手段之一。以石墨烯为碳源,1,10-菲啰啉为氮源,FeCl3为铁源,用浸渍法制备铁氮掺杂石墨烯(Fe/N-G)载体,并通过乙二醇还原法获得PtFe/N-G催化剂,探究铁氮原子的引入对石墨烯担载铂催化剂氧还原反应催化活性的影响。采用X射线衍射、比表面积和孔径分布测试、X射线光电子能谱等表征手段对载体及催化剂结构进行表征,使用电化学方法对载体和催化剂的氧还原反应活性进行测试。结果表明,PtFe/N-G催化剂的氧还原反应起始电位及半波电位分别为0.96 V、0.83 V,优于相同Pt担载量的商业20%Pt/C催化剂。铁氮掺杂后,石墨烯载体具有较大的孔径更有利于氧还原反应过程中生成物与反应物的传递,PtFe/N-G催化剂中存在吡啶氮和Fe-N型氮与铂纳米颗粒的协同催化,以及铂纳米颗粒与铁氮掺杂石墨烯载体间的相互作用,是PtFe/N-G催化剂具有优异的氧还原催化活性的可能原因。     

含氮前驱体对氮杂有序介孔炭材料及其氧还原电催化性能的影响

燃料电池中贵金属铂的大量使用是阻碍其发展的关键因素,亟需探索高效廉价的替代型电催化剂.在目前的替代型非贵金属催化剂研究中,氮杂炭材料是一类氧还原反应催化活性最好、成本最低廉的催化剂,被认为是最有可能取代Pt催化剂而获得实际应用的催化剂.氮杂有序介孔炭材料因具有极高的比表面积和规整的孔道结构,可实现活性位点的密集组装与反应物料的快速传输,受到研究者的广泛关注.本文分别以苯胺、吡咯和邻菲罗啉为含氮前驱体,介孔分子筛SBA-15为硬模板,采用纳米浇铸法成功制备了具有高比表面积的氮杂有序介孔炭材料,系统研究了不同含氮前驱体对氮杂有序介孔炭材料的影响.采用氮气吸附-脱附等温线、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等方法研究了氮杂有序介孔炭的组成与结构,采用循环伏安法(CV)以及线性扫描伏安法(LSV)等手段考察了其电化学行为与氧还原反应极化性能.氮气吸附-脱附等温线结果表明,采用三种不同含氮前驱体制备的氮杂炭材料都对应Ⅳ型吸脱附等温线以及H4型滞后环,表明所制备的氮杂炭材料具有介孔结构.由TEM可以清楚地观察到氮杂炭材料已经成功地反转了SBA-15模板的孔道结构.同时发现,含氮前驱体对氮杂炭材料的比表面积和孔结构产生较大影响:以吡咯和邻菲罗啉为前驱体制备的炭材料C-PY-900和C-Phen-900的比表面积较高,分别为765和746 m2/g,而以苯胺为前驱体制备的炭材料C-PA-900比表面积较小(569 m2/g);三种炭材料平均孔径大小顺序为C-Phen-900 (3.7 nm)＜ C-PY-900 (5.0 nm)＜ C-PA-900 (5.9 nm),这是由于不同含氮前驱体在高温焙烧过程中热分解行为不同所致.XRD结果发现,含氮前驱体对氮杂炭材料的晶型基本没有影响,均为无定形碳.XPS结果表明,采用苯胺、吡咯以及林菲啰啉为前驱体制备的氮杂炭材料中氮含量基本相同,分别为3.13 at％,3.32 at％和3.33 at％,说明在相同热解条件下材料中的氮含量基本不受前驱体的影响,但不同配位环境的氮含量以及氮活化碳原子的含量却有较大差异,其氮活化碳原子的相对含量分别为15.60％,19.87％和23.04％.电化学测试结果表明,三种氮杂介孔炭材料的氧还原反应电催化活性顺序为C-PA-900＜C-PY-900＜C-Phen-900,其H2O2产率低于30％,说明氧还原反应经历4电子转移路径.在碱性条件下,所制氮杂有序介孔炭材料C-PY-900和C-Phen-900表现出较商品Pt/C催化剂更加优异的氧还原反应电催化性能.综上可见,通过改变含氮前驱体的类型可以有效调变氮杂炭材料的比表面积、孔道结构以及N 1s与C 1s化学态,从而调控氧还原反应活性,本文不仅制备出高活性的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂,同时也为高活性炭基电催化剂的可控制备提供了思路.     

含氮前驱体对氮杂有序介孔炭材料及其氧还原电催化性能的影响（英文）

燃料电池中贵金属铂的大量使用是阻碍其发展的关键因素,亟需探索高效廉价的替代型电催化剂.在目前的替代型非贵金属催化剂研究中,氮杂炭材料是一类氧还原反应催化活性最好、成本最低廉的催化剂,被认为是最有可能取代Pt催化剂而获得实际应用的催化剂.氮杂有序介孔炭材料因具有极高的比表面积和规整的孔道结构,可实现活性位点的密集组装与反应物料的快速传输,受到研究者的广泛关注.本文分别以苯胺、吡咯和邻菲罗啉为含氮前驱体,介孔分子筛SBA-15为硬模板,采用纳米浇铸法成功制备了具有高比表面积的氮杂有序介孔炭材料,系统研究了不同含氮前驱体对氮杂有序介孔炭材料的影响.采用氮气吸附-脱附等温线、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等方法研究了氮杂有序介孔炭的组成与结构,采用循环伏安法(CV)以及线性扫描伏安法(LSV)等手段考察了其电化学行为与氧还原反应极化性能.氮气吸附-脱附等温线结果表明,采用三种不同含氮前驱体制备的氮杂炭材料都对应IV型吸脱附等温线以及H4型滞后环,表明所制备的氮杂炭材料具有介孔结构.由TEM可以清楚地观察到氮杂炭材料已经成功地反转了SBA-15模板的孔道结构.同时发现,含氮前驱体对氮杂炭材料的比表面积和孔结构产生较大影响:以吡咯和邻菲罗啉为前驱体制备的炭材料C-PY-900和C-Phen-900的比表面积较高,分别为765和746 m~2/,而以苯胺为前驱体制备的炭材料C-PA-900比表面积较小(569 m~2/);三种炭材料平均孔径大小顺序为C-Phen-900(3.7 nm)C-PY-900(5.0 nm)C-PA-900(5.9 nm),这是由于不同含氮前驱体在高温焙烧过程中热分解行为不同所致.XRD结果发现,含氮前驱体对氮杂炭材料的晶型基本没有影响,均为无定形碳.XPS结果表明,采用苯胺、吡咯以及林菲啰啉为前驱体制备的氮杂炭材料中氮含量基本相同,分别为3.13 at%,3.32 at%和3.33 at%,说明在相同热解条件下材料中的氮含量基本不受前驱体的影响,但不同配位环境的氮含量以及氮活化碳原子的含量却有较大差异,其氮活化碳原子的相对含量分别为15.60%,19.87%和23.04%.电化学测试结果表明,三种氮杂介孔炭材料的氧还原反应电催化活性顺序为C-PA-900C-PY-900C-Phen-900,其H_2O2产率低于30%,说明氧还原反应经历4电子转移路径.在碱性条件下,所制氮杂有序介孔炭材料C-PY-900和C-Phen-900表现出较商品Pt/C催化剂更加优异的氧还原反应电催化性能.综上可见,通过改变含氮前驱体的类型可以有效调变氮杂炭材料的比表面积、孔道结构以及N 1s与C 1s化学态,从而调控氧还原反应活性.本文不仅制备出高活性的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂,同时也为高活性炭基电催化剂的可控制备提供了思路.     

钌催化的1,10-邻菲啰啉衍生物的不对称氢化反应

1,10-邻菲啰啉及其衍生物作为一类常见的双齿配体已广泛应用于金属催化的反应中,它们的直接不对称还原可以制备手性四氢-1,10-邻菲啰啉和八氢-1,10-邻菲啰啉两类具有潜在生理活性的杂环化合物,它们同时也可作为新型的含氮手性配体.但由于邻菲啰啉的强配位能力,可能导致金属催化剂中毒而失去活性,因此,过渡金属配合物催化1,10-邻菲啰啉的氢化反应还未见文献报道;而手性Br(?)nsted酸催化1,10-邻菲啰啉的不对称氢转移反应也仅有一例报道,且存在底物局限性及选择性较低等问题.中国科学院化学研究所范青华课题组利用手性二胺金属钌配合物     

具有碱催化活性的有序氮氧化硅MCM-41介孔分子筛的制备与性能研究

以介孔氧化硅MCM-41为氮化前驱体, 以纯的氨气为氮源, 通过调节氮化工艺参数, 制备出了氮含量高达23.01 wt%、比表面积高达665.4 m²•g^－1、平均孔径为2.5 nm的氮氧化硅有序介孔分子筛材料. 采用CNH元素分析、N₂吸附- 脱附分析、小角XRD、高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)、红外光谱以及²⁹Si 固体核磁共振谱(MAS NMR)等技术对材料的结构进行系统的研究. 并且通过苯甲醛和丙二腈的缩合反应研究了该类材料的碱催化活性. 研究表明, 在30 ℃反应3 h后苯甲醛的转化率达到99.9%.     

单源MOF衍生具有三维有序大孔结构的氮掺杂碳包覆铁-氮合金复合材料用于高效氧还原

氧还原反应在一些能源转换系统如金属-空气电池中起着至关重要的作用.目前贵金属基材料(Pt/C)被认为是最有效的氧还原电催化剂,然而价格昂贵和储量有限等因素限制了它的商业化应用,因此探索高效的非贵金属氧还原电催化剂具有重要的意义.近年来,负载过渡金属铁的多孔碳催化剂由于独特的结构和优异的氧还原催化活性成为替代铂基催化剂最有潜力的候选者.该类材料的合成通常采用直接煅烧含有氮源、碳源和铁盐的混合前驱体的制备方法,但是热解时材料的多孔结构以及活性位点的均匀分布很难得到有效的控制.近年来,金属有机框架(MOFs)由于其多孔结构和组成可控等优点而经常被用作自牺牲模板来制备负载铁基纳米材料的多孔碳催化剂,并表现出优异的电催化活性.目前以MOF为前驱体制备高活性的载铁氮掺杂碳复合材料通常需要引入额外的氮源或铁源,因此选择氮含量丰富的铁基MOF材料作为单源前驱体制备载铁氮掺杂多孔碳复合材料具有重要的意义.除此之外,具有多级孔隙率的催化剂可以改善反应时的传质过程,同时有序交联的网络结构能够提供连续的电子传输.本文报道了一种简单可控的制备具有三维有序大孔结构的载铁氮掺杂多孔碳复合催化剂的合成方法,该材料表现出优异的电催化氧气还原性能和优异的催化稳定性.首先,以氮含量丰富的双氰胺和吡嗪配体所构筑的Fe-MOF作为前驱体,利用具有均一尺寸的聚苯乙烯微球作为造孔剂,合成得到了具有三维有序大孔结构的Fe-MOF前驱体,然后通过高温煅烧该单源前驱体制备得到具有三维有序大孔结构的氮掺杂多孔碳包覆铁-氮合金的复合型催化剂(3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC).扫描电镜和透射电镜结果表明,材料内形成了有序交联的大孔结构;氮气吸附测试表明,刻蚀之后材料的比表面积明显增加,结合分级多孔特性可以共同促进催化反应的传质过程.粉末X射线衍射结果证实了多孔碳材料中铁和铁-氮合金物种的成功合成.电化学测试结果表明,在0.1 M KOH电解液中,3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC-800催化剂表现出优于Pt/C的氧还原活性,其半波电位(E_1/2)为0.88 V,大于商业Pt/C的半波电位(E_1/2=0.85 V).同时,3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC-800表现出更加优异的稳定性,经过20000 s测试后,其电流保持率为94%,而Pt/C只保持了78%.关于活性位点探究的对比实验证明在所制备的复合材料中,铁物种作为高效的活性位点参与了电催化氧还原反应,与氮掺杂多孔碳之间的协同作用共同主导了3DOM Fe/Fe-NA@NC优异的氧还原活性.得益于其优异的氧还原活性,将其作为阴极活性材料组装为锌-空气电池进一步探究了其在实际应用中的可行性.本结果拓宽了高效的铁基催化剂的类型,同时也为制备封装非贵金属的多孔碳基催化剂提供了实验指导和理论依据.     

铁、氮掺杂石墨烯/碳黑复合材料的制备及氧还原电催化性能

以高含氮量的2-氨基咪唑为氮源,三氯化铁为铁源,高比表面积的KJ600碳黑为载体,通过水热法制得氨基咪唑聚合物前驱体,再经二次高温热处理,制得石墨烯/碳黑复合材料. 透射电镜表征显示该材料为石墨烯纳米片与碳黑颗粒的复合结构. BET表征表明这是一种多孔结构,具有很高的比表面积（882 m²•g^-1）,这有利于暴露更多活性位点,并促进传质. XRD证实催化剂中存在石墨烯,且石墨烯结构是在第一次热处理过程中形成的. 电化学测试表明,该催化剂在酸性和碱性介质中都具有很高的氧还原电催化活性和低H₂O₂产率,并且在碱性介质中对甲醇小分子的抗毒化性能明显优于商业Pt/C催化剂,展示出在实际燃料电池系统中的应用潜力.     

1,10-菲啰啉修饰Cu/Al2O3催化肉桂醛羰基高效选择性加氢

肉桂醛作为α,β-不饱和醛的代表性物质,其羰基选择性加氢的高效催化剂设计还存在一定挑战.经过1,10-菲啰啉(L₁)修饰制备的Cu催化剂(Cu/Al₂O₃-L₁),可以在肉桂醛几乎完全转化的情况下实现>95%的肉桂醇选择性.表征和DFT结果表明,1,10-菲啰啉的空间位阻限制了肉桂醛的平面吸附,提高了肉桂醇的选择性,同时其与Cu的相互作用降低了H₂的解离能,提高了催化剂的活性.这项工作强调了含N-配体在催化剂表面修饰中的重要性,并为进一步合理设计高选择性加氢催化剂提供了一些借鉴.     

一系列Ru(II)配合物电致化学发光性质的比较研究

比较研究了以C₂O₄^2－为共反应物时5个结构相关的Ru(II)配合物[Ru(bpy)₂L¹]^2＋, [Ru(bpy)₂L²]^2＋, [Ru(bpy)₂L³]^2＋, [Ru(phen)₂L¹]^2＋和[Ru(phen)₂L²]^2＋(其中bpy＝2,2′-联吡啶, phen＝1,10-邻菲啰啉, L¹＝4-羧基苯基咪唑[4,5-f][1,10]邻菲啰啉, L²＝3-羧基-4-羟基苯基咪唑[4,5-f][1,10]邻菲啰啉, L³＝3,4-二羟基苯基咪唑[4,5-f][1,10]邻菲啰啉)的电致化学发光(ECL)性质. 结果表明, 酚羟基的存在能有效地淬灭Ru(II)配合物[Ru(bpy)₂L²]^2＋, [Ru(bpy)₂L³]^2＋和[Ru(phen)₂L²]^2＋的ECL, 其它Ru(II)配合物的ECL量子效率与[Ru(bpy)₃]^2＋相差不大.     

1,10-邻菲啰啉并咪唑衍生物阴离子受体的合成及识别性能

设计合成了2个1,10-邻菲啰啉并咪唑衍生物阴离子受体2-(2-羟基苯基)-1H-咪唑[4,5-f][1,10]邻菲啰啉(1)和2-(2-羟基-5-溴苯基)-1H-咪唑[4,5-f][1,10]邻菲啰啉(2), 受体2的结构由X射线单晶衍射分析确证. 通过紫外-可见光谱滴定及 ¹H NMR滴定研究了这2个受体对F^-, Cl^-, Br^-, I^-, H₂PO₄^-和AcO^- 6种阴离子的识别传感作用及作用机理. 结果表明, 受体对AcO^-, F^-和H₂PO₄^-有较强的传感作用, 溶液颜色由淡黄色变为黄色; 对Cl^-的作用较弱; 而对Br^-和I^-则无明显作用. 通过机理研究发现, 受体与F^-, H₂PO₄^-和AcO^-形成1: 1的氢键超分子, 当阴离子的量超过受体的1倍以后, 咪唑氮上的氢转移到阴离子; 受体与Cl^-以氢键形成超分子复合物, 而与Br^-和I^-作用很弱.     

Nitrogen-doped ordered porous carbon catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Three different N-doped ordered porous carbons (CNx) were produced by a nanocasting process using polyaniline as the carbon and nitrogen precursor. A pyrolysis treatment of iron chloride-impregnated CNx under nitrogen is used in the preparation of the carbon composite catalysts, and this is followed by posttreatments and optimization of the iron loading and the pore size. Exploration of the catalytic activity of the CNx products for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using rotating disk electrode measurements and single-cell tests shows that the onset potential for ORR of the most effective catalyst in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ is as high as 0.9 V vs. the normal hydrogen electrode. A proton exchange membrane fuel cell constructed with the catalyst exhibits a current density as high as 0.52 A cm^?2 at 0.6 V with 2 atm back pressure using a cathode catalyst loading of 6 mg cm^?2. The average pore diameters of synthesized CNx-12, CNx-15, and CNx-16 are 0.7, 4.3, and 14 nm, respectively. It is observed that the pore size and specific surface area are an important factor for increased catalyst activity. The pore size of the most effective catalysts is found to be 4.3 nm.     

Cobalt and nitrogen codoped porous carbon as superior bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline medium

Metal (cobalt)/nitrogen codoped carbon was first fabricated by pyrolysis of coordinated “noncarbonizable” polymer as bifunctional catalyst for ORR and HER, which showed better electrocatalytic performances than most bifunctional doped carbon catalysts in alkaline electrolyte.     

Biomass derived Fe-N/C catalyst for efficiently catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction in both alkaline and neutral pH conditions

Fe-N/C is a promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst to substitute the current widely used precious metal platinum. Cost-effectively fabricating the Fe-N/C material with high catalytic activity and getting in-depth insight into the responsible catalytic site are of great significance. In this work, we proposed to use biomass, tea leaves waste, as the precursor to prepare ORR catalyst. By adding 5% FeCl₃ (wt%) into tea precursor, the pyrolysis product (i.e., 5%Fe-N/C) exhibited an excellent four-electron ORR activity, whose onset potential was only 10 mV lower than that of commercial Pt/C. The limiting current density of 5%Fe-N/C (5.75 mA/cm²) was even higher than Pt/C (5.44 mA/cm²). Compared with other biomass or metal organic frameworks derived catalysts, 5%Fe-N/C showed similar ORR activity. Also, both the methanol tolerance and material stability performances of as-prepared 5%Fe-N/C catalyst were superior to that of Pt/C. X-ray adsorption fine structure characterization revealed that the FeN₄O₂ might be the possible catalytic site. An appropriate amount of iron chloride addition not only facilitated catalytic site formation, but also enhanced material conductivity and reaction kinetics. The results of this work may be useful for the Fe based transition metal ORR catalyst design and application.     

Pd-Co/C催化剂上葡萄糖的催化氧化反应

Pd-Co/C催化剂上葡萄糖的催化氧化反应     

沉淀还原法制备高性能CO2加氢合成甲醇Cu/ZnO/Al2O3催化剂

由铜基催化剂催化CO2+H2合成甲醇是有效利用CO2的潜在途径[1～5]. 但传统的催化剂对该反应的催化活性及选择性均很低[3～5], 因而寻求具有高活性及高选择性的新型催化剂已成为重要研究课题[4,6]. Cu/ZnO系列催化剂的制备方法和助剂对催化剂的性质及CO2加氢合成甲醇的反应性能有显著影响[6～10], 传统的气相还原活化铜基催化剂的过程常伴随强烈的热效应, 导致催化剂活化过程存在耗时长及还原条件难以控制等问题[11]. 本文采用沉淀-还原法, 用KBH4溶液对新鲜制备的碳酸盐共沉淀进行液相化学还原处理, 直接得到高活性及高选择性的还原态Cu/ZnO/Al2O3甲醇合成催化剂, 并可通过改变催化剂表面Cu+/Cu0活性物种的相对比例来改善催化剂的活性及选择性.     

钴/氮掺杂碳催化剂及其氧还原催化机理研究

以尿素做氮源、醋酸钴做金属源,用湿法合并高温热处理法合成了钴/氮共掺杂碳的非贵金属氧还原催化剂Co-N/C-T. 采用循环伏安（CV）法和线性扫描法（LSV）探究了氮源和金属源用量以及热处理温度对氧还原反应电催化活性的影响,活性最好的催化剂Co_0.13-N_0.3/C-800的峰电位达到0.829 V（vs.RHE）,接近商用Pt/C的活性,但比商用Pt/C有更好的耐甲醇性和稳定性. 同时,采用SEM,TEM,BET,XRD和XPS方法表征了催化剂结构和组分特征,并提出催化剂可能的电催化活性氧还原反应机理.     

Simultaneous removal of ethanol, acetaldehyde and nitrogen oxides over V-Pd/γ-Al_2O_3-TiO_2 catalyst

V-Pd/γ-Al2O3-TiO2 catalysts with different vanadium contents were prepared by a combined sol-gel and impregnation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and catalytic removal of ethanol, acetaldehyde and nitrogen oxides at low temperature (<300 ?C) were used to assess the properties of the catalysts. The results showed that the sample with 1wt% vanadium exhibited an excellent catalytic performance for simultaneous removal of ethanol, acetaldehyde and nitrogen oxides. The conversions of ethanol, acetaldehyde and nitrogen oxides at 250 ?C were 100%, 74.4% and 98.7%, respectively. V-Pd/γ-Al2O3-TiO2 catalyst with 1 wt% vanadium showed the largest surface area and higher dispersion of vanadium oxide on the catalyst surface, and possessed a larger mole fraction of V4+ species and unique PdO species on the surface, which can be attributed to the strong synergistic effect among palladium, vanadium and the carriers. The higher activity of V-Pd/γ-Al2O3-TiO2 catalyst is related to the V4+ and Pd2+ species on the surface, which might be favorable for the formation of active sites.     

Catalytic properties of Ru nanoparticles embedded on ordered mesoporous carbon with different pore size in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

A series of 3 wt% Ru embedded on ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) catalysts with different pore sizes were prepared by autoreduction between ruthenium precursors and carbon sources at 1123 K. Ru nanoparticles were embedded on the carbon walls of OMC. Characterization technologies including power X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) were used to scrutinize the catalysts. The catalyst activity for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) was measured in a fixed bed reactor. It was revealed that 3 wt% Ru-OMC catalysts exhibited highly ordered mesoporous structure and large surface area. Compared with the catalysts with smaller pores, the catalysts with larger pores were inclined to form larger Ru particles. These 3 wt% Ru-OMC catalysts with different pore sizes were more stable than 3 wt% Ru/AC catalyst during the FTS reactions because Ru particles were embedded on the carbon walls, suppressing particles aggregation, movement and oxidation. The catalytic activity and C₅₊ selectivity were found to increase with the increasing pore size, however, CH₄ selectivity showed the opposite trend. These changes may be explained in terms of the special environment of the active Ru sites and the diffusion of products in the pores of the catalysts, suggesting that the activity and hydrocarbon selectivity are more dependent on the pore size of OMC than on the Ru particle size.     

Hollow Spheres of Iron Carbide Nanoparticles Encased in Graphitic Layers as Oxygen Reduction Catalysts

Nonprecious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction are the ultimate materials and the foremost subject for low‐temperature fuel cells. A novel type of catalysts prepared by high‐pressure pyrolysis is reported. The catalyst is featured by hollow spherical morphologies consisting of uniform iron carbide (Fe₃C) nanoparticles encased by graphitic layers, with little surface nitrogen or metallic functionalities. In acidic media the outer graphitic layers stabilize the carbide nanoparticles without depriving them of their catalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). As a result the catalyst is highly active and stable in both acid and alkaline electrolytes. The synthetic approach, the carbide‐based catalyst, the structure of the catalysts, and the proposed mechanism open new avenues for the development of ORR catalysts.