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High‐Rate Oxygen Electroreduction over Graphitic‐N Species Exposed on 3D Hierarchically Porous Nitrogen‐Doped Carbons
Author(s) -
He Wenhui,
Jiang Chunhuan,
Wang Jiabo,
Lu Lehui
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201404333
Subject(s) - catalysis , carbon fibers , porosity , nitrogen , metal , chemical engineering , oxygen , materials science , doping , oxygen reduction , fabrication , oxygen reduction reaction , nanotechnology , oxygen evolution , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , electrode , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , metallurgy , composite number , composite material , medicine , alternative medicine , optoelectronics , pathology , engineering
Nitrogen‐doped species (NDs) are theoretically accepted as a determinant of the catalytic activity of metal‐free N‐doped carbon (NC) catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, direct relationships between ND type and ORR activity have been difficult to extract because the complexity of carbon matrix impairs efforts to expose specific NDs. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of a 3D hierarchically porous NC catalyst with micro‐, meso‐, and macroporosity in one structure, in which sufficient exposure and availability of inner‐pore catalytic sites can be achieved due to its super‐high surface area (2191 cm 2 g −1 ) and interconnected pore system. More importantly, in‐situ formation of graphitic‐N species (GNs) on the surface of NC stimulated by KOH activation enables us to experimentally reveal the catalytic nature of GNs for ORR, which is of great significance for the design and development of advanced metal‐free NC electrocatalysts.