Premium
Highly Curved Nanostructure‐Coated Co, N‐Doped Carbon Materials for Oxygen Electrocatalysis
Author(s) -
Liang Zuozhong,
Kong Ningning,
Yang Chenxi,
Zhang Wei,
Zheng Haoquan,
Lin Haiping,
Cao Rui
Publication year - 2021
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.202101562
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , carbon fibers , materials science , bifunctional , mesoporous material , oxygen evolution , graphene , nanostructure , catalysis , electrochemistry , nanotechnology , oxygen , chemical engineering , doping , chemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , composite number , composite material , engineering , optoelectronics
Nitrogen‐doped graphene could catalyze the electrochemical reduction and evolution of oxygen, but unfortunately suffers from sluggish catalytic kinetics. Herein, for the first time, we report an onion‐like carbon coated Co, N‐doped carbon (OLC/Co‐N‐C) material, which possesses multilayers of highly curved nanostructures that form mesoporous architectures. These unique nanospheres are produced when surfactant micelles are introduced to synthesis precursors. Owing to the combined electronic effect and nanostructuring effect, our OLC/Co‐N‐C materials exhibit high bifunctional oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) activity, showing a promising application in rechargeable Zn‐air batteries. Experimental results are rationalized by theoretical calculations, showing that the curvature of graphitic carbon plays a vital role in promoting activities of meta‐carbon atoms near graphitic N and ortho/meta carbon atoms close to pyridinic N.