The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an extremely important reaction in many renewable energy-related devices. The sluggish kinetics of the ORR limits the development of many fuel cells. Design and synthesis of highly efficient nonprecious electrocatalysts are of vital importance for electrochemical reduction of oxygen. Herein, we develop a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 )-derived bamboo-like carbon nanotubes/carbon-wrapped Co nanoparticles (BCNT/Co) electrocatalyst by a simple high-temperature pyrolysis and acid-leaching method. The catalytic performance of the as-designed electrocatalyst toward ORR outperforms the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline solution. The onset potential of nonprecious BCNT/Co-800 catalyst was 1.12 V. The half-wave potential was 0.881 V. The result was superior to that of commercial Pt/C (0.827 V vs RHE). The Co nanoparticles, bamboo-like carbon nanotubes, defects, and Co−N x active sites all result in the remarkable ORR activity, stability, and great methanol tolerance.
Atomically dispersed Fe and Co on N-doped carbon were prepared as ORR and Zn–air battery catalysts, and the synergetic effect between Fe–N4 and Co–N4 was demonstrated by electrochemical results and density functional theory calculations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.