High-performance electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are the key to advance the application of direct methanol fuel cells. Pt-based electrocatalysts for MOR are limited by high cost, low stability...
To develop active and stable electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), many non-noble metal-based nanomaterials have been explored, which are physically loaded on conductive substrates to form electrodes. During a long-term MOR under high current density, these electrodes usually lose activity due to the aggregation or falling off of active nanomaterials. To overcome these problems, we report a simple strategy to synthesize an active, stable, and carbon monoxide (CO)-resistant monolithic electrode for the MOR: cobalt nanocrystal/nitrogen, oxygen-doped carbon (Co@N,OÀ C, CP) monolith. CP monolith shows a high electrical conductivity (1.54 × 10 4 S/cm), which can be directly used as an electrode without any substrate. Co nanocrystals are dispersed uniformly in the N,OÀ C matrix as the active site for MOR, whereas the N,OÀ C matrix protects Co nanocrystals and also facilitates the mass and charge transfer between electrolyte and the electrode. The optimized CPÀ FT-500 electrode presents a high MOR activity of 352 mA/cm 2 at 0.6 V vs SCE (unsaturated calomel electrode) in alkaline electrolyte, which exceeds most previously reported Co-based MOR catalysts. The optimal CPÀ FT-500 catalyst also presents excellent durability and anti-CO poisoning capability (93.3 % retention of activity), which exceeds that of Pt/C (67.5 % retention). Based on its excellent catalytic activity, stability, and high resistance to CO poisoning, CPÀ FT-500 catalyst is a promising low-cost catalyst for MOR.
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.