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N 8 − Polynitrogen Stabilized on Multi‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes for Oxygen‐Reduction Reactions at Ambient Conditions
Author(s) -
Wu Zhiyi,
Benchafia El Mostafa,
Iqbal Zafar,
Wang Xianqin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201403060
Subject(s) - carbon fibers , carbon nanotube , oxygen , chemistry , oxygen reduction reaction , chemical engineering , materials science , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , electrochemistry , electrode , composite number , engineering , composite material
Polynitrogen (PN) species (N n , n from 3 to 8) as highly energetic materials have attracted many theoretical calculations and predictions. N 3 , N 4 , N 5 or their ions were experimentally detected under high‐pressure and high‐temperature conditions. Herein, a N 8 − PN stabilized on the positively charged sidewalls of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) has been synthesized using cyclic voltammetry (CV) under ambient conditions. ATR‐FTIR and Raman spectroscopic data assigned on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations support the successful synthesis of a C 2 h symmetry chain structure of the N 8 anion stabilized as MWNT + N 8 − . Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) data show that MWNT + N 8 − is thermally stable up to 400 °C. Oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) experiments carried out using MWNT + N 8 − as the cathodic catalyst shows that it is very active for ORR with an even higher current density than that of a commercial Pt/carbon catalyst.