Iron and nitrogen anchored hierarchical hollow porous carbon microtubes for an electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 926; p. 166746
• Main Authors: Li, Na, Qu, Shijie, Ma, Jingjing, Shen, Wenzhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 10.12.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Asphaltene; Asphaltenes; Carbon; Cotton; Electrocatalyst; Electrocatalysts; Electronic structure; Fe/N-doping; Graphitization; Iron; Nitrogen; Oxygen evolution reaction; Oxygen evolution reactions; Resource utilization; Fe/N-doping; Asphaltene; Electrocatalyst; Oxygen evolution reaction; Cotton
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.166746

The development of active nonprecious-metal and heteroatom-doped materials is critical for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, asphaltene-derived carbon-coated Fe- and N-doped hierarchical hollow porous carbon microtubes were prepared through feasible freeze-drying and carbonization/activation strategies. Cotton with a fibrous morphology acted as a soft template and carbon precursor, while asphaltene with easy graphitization properties was utilized to stabilize the structure of microtubes and accelerate the charge conductivity. Meanwhile, Fe- and N-doping changed the electronic structure of carbon and increased the number of active sites. In particular, the optimum sample displayed excellent OER activity with a lower overpotential of 261.4 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and Tafel slope of 94.60 mV/dec under alkaline conditions. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrated excellent long-term durability with a 10% attenuation rate after continuous operation for 50 h by the chronoamperometry method at a constant potential of 1.5 V. This work provides a strategy for the effective resource utilization of biomass and asphaltene to prepare highly efficient OER electrocatalysts. The iron and nitrogen anchored hierarchical hollow porous carbon microtubes with high degree of graphitization were synthesized using cotton and asphaltene as precursors and exhibited a low overpotential, small Tafel slope and remarkable long-term durability as electrocatalyst towards oxygen evolution reaction. [Display omitted] •Iron and nitrogen anchored hierarchical hollow porous carbon microtubes werederived from cotton and asphaltene.•Cotton provided the resultant carbon microtubes skeleton and a mass transport path for OER.•Graphitc carbon from asphaltene accelerate the charge conductivity.•Synergistic effect of hierarchical hollow porous tubular and doping of Fe and N atoms resulted in excellent OER activity.•Fe3N site played an important role for high OER activity.