N, P, and S tri-doped holey carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction in whole pH range for fuel cell and zinc-air batteries
Although, metal-free electrocatalysts have been exhibiting attractive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance comparable to Pt/C in alkaline electrolytes, their activity in acidic and neutral mediums is unsatisfactory, hindering their widespread application in energy devices, such as proton exch...
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Published in | Carbon (New York) Vol. 179; pp. 365 - 376 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
New York
Elsevier Ltd
01.07.2021
Elsevier BV |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Although, metal-free electrocatalysts have been exhibiting attractive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance comparable to Pt/C in alkaline electrolytes, their activity in acidic and neutral mediums is unsatisfactory, hindering their widespread application in energy devices, such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), neutral metal-air batteries, and biofuel cells. Herein, N,P,S tri-doped holey carbon (NPS-HC) nanomaterials have been prepared using a one-step method with large specific surface area (1656.0 m2 g−1), abundant holes and edges, and high heteroatom content (7.57 at.%). The optimized NPS-HC exhibits outstanding ORR performance in universal pH mediums, being closely comparable to the commercial Pt/C. The NPS-HC is also utilized as air cathode in alkaline (peak power density: 286.6 mW cm−2 @ 488.1 mA cm−2) and neutral (85.7 mW cm−2 @ 228.8 mA cm−2) electrolytic Zn-air batteries as well as the ORR cathode in a practical PEMFC (275.1 mW cm−2) with comparable or superior performances than the previous reports. Such excellent electrocatalytic performance is attributed to the N,P,S tri-doping induced synergistic charge transfer and spin redistribution along with the hierarchical holey structure with exposed active sites and facilitated mass transport. Thus, this earth-abundant carbon-based nanomaterial holds great potential for high-performance pH-universal ORR catalysis in various energy-related technologies.
This article presents a metal-free carbon-based nanomaterial for outstanding ORR performance in universal pH mediums, and its utilization as the air cathode in alkaline and neutral Zn-air batteries as well as the ORR cathode in a practical PEM fuel cell for efficient energy storage and conversion. [Display omitted]
•N,P,S tri-doped holey carbon (NPS-HC) is prepared through a one-step method.•NPS-HC has a unique structure with a large specific surface area and abundant holes.•NPS-HC exhibits an outstanding ORR performance in pH-universal mediums.•NPS-HC shows good performance in alkaline/neutral Zn-air batteries and fuel cells. |
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ISSN: | 0008-6223 1873-3891 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.carbon.2021.04.039 |