Cobalt–Nitrogen‐Doped Helical Carbonaceous Nanotubes as a Class of Efficient Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction |
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| Authors: | Zuozhong Liang Xing Fan Haitao Lei Jing Qi Youyong Li Jinpeng Gao Meiling Huo Haitao Yuan Prof. Wei Zhang Haiping Lin Prof. Haoquan Zheng Prof. Rui Cao |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, P. R. China;2. Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, P. R. China;3. Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA;4. Department of Chemistry, Renmin University of China, Beijing, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of significant importance in the development of fuel cells. Now, cobalt–nitrogen‐doped chiral carbonaceous nanotubes (l/d ‐CCNTs‐Co) are presented as efficient electrocatalysts for ORR. The chiral template, N‐stearyl‐l/d ‐glutamic acid, induces the self‐assembly of well‐arranged polypyrrole and the formation of ordered graphene carbon with helical structures at the molecular level after the pyrolysis process. Co was subsequently introduced through the post‐synthesis method. The obtained l/d ‐CCNTs‐Co exhibits superior ORR performance, including long‐term stability and better methanol tolerance compared to achiral Co‐doped carbon materials and commercial Pt/C. DFT calculations demonstrate that the charges on the twisted surface of l/d ‐CCNTs are widely separated; as a result the Co atoms are more exposed on the chiral CCNTs. This work gives us a new understanding of the effects of helical structures in electrocatalysis. |
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| Keywords: | chiral carbonaceous nanotubes cobalt electrocatalysis oxygen reduction reaction |
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