The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a vitally important process in fuel cells. The development of high-performance and low-cost ORR electrocatalysts with outstanding stability is essential for the commercialization of the electrochemical energy technology. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of cobalt (Co) and nitrogen (N) co-doped carbon nanotube@porous carbon (Co/N/CNT@PC-800) electrocatalyst through a one-step pyrolysis of waste paper, dicyandiamide, and cobalt(II) acetylacetonate. The surface of the hierarchical porous carbon supported a large number of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which were derived from dicyandiamide through the catalysis of Co. The addition of Co resulted in the formation of a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure, which was beneficial for the exposure of active sites and rapid transportation of ORR-relevant species (O2, H+, OH?, and H2O). The doped N and Co formed more active sites to enhance the ORR activity of the electrocatalyst. The Co/N/CNT@PC-800 material exhibited optimal ORR performance with an onset potential of 0.005 V vs. Ag/AgCl and a half-wave potential of –0.173 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Meanwhile, the electrocatalyst showed an excellent methanol tolerance and a long-term operational durability than that of Pt/C, as well as a quasi-four-electron reaction pathway. The low-cost and simple synthesis approach makes the Co/N/CNT@PC-800 a prospective electrocatalyst for the ORR. Furthermore, this work provides an alternative approach for exploring the use of biomass-derived electrocatalysts for renewable energy applications.

» Author: Gaopeng Liu, Bin Wang, Li Xu, Penghui Ding, Pengfei Zhang, Jiexiang Xia, Huaming Li, Junchao Qian

» Reference: Chinese Journal of Catalysis, Volume 39, Issue 4

» Publication Date: 01/04/2018

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