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Iron Carbide Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Mesoporous Fe‐N‐Doped Carbon Nanofibers for Efficient Electrocatalysis
Author(s) -
Wu ZhenYu,
Xu XingXing,
Hu BiCheng,
Liang HaiWei,
Lin Yue,
Chen LiFeng,
Yu ShuHong
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201502173
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , mesoporous material , catalysis , nanofiber , nanoparticle , materials science , chemical engineering , carbon nanofiber , carbon fibers , carbide , nanotechnology , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , electrochemistry , carbon nanotube , organic chemistry , electrode , composite number , metallurgy , composite material , engineering
Exploring low‐cost and high‐performance nonprecious metal catalysts (NPMCs) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and metal–air batteries is crucial for the commercialization of these energy conversion and storage devices. Here we report a novel NPMC consisting of Fe 3 C nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous Fe‐N‐doped carbon nanofibers, which is synthesized by a cost‐effective method using carbonaceous nanofibers, pyrrole, and FeCl 3 as precursors. The electrocatalyst exhibits outstanding ORR activity (onset potential of −0.02 V and half‐wave potential of −0.140 V) closely comparable to the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media, and good ORR activity in acidic media, which is among the highest reported activities of NPMCs.