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In Situ Formation of Hierarchical Porous Fe,Co−N‐Doped Carbon as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction
Author(s) -
Jia Xiaofang,
Gu Wenling,
Zhang Shan,
Wang Erkang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.201700299
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , catalysis , methanol , materials science , chemical engineering , carbon fibers , citric acid , pyrolysis , hydrothermal circulation , inorganic chemistry , platinum , porosity , chemistry , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , composite material , composite number , engineering
Development of highly active and durable non‐precious‐metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as an alternative to platinum is of significance for the commercialization of fuel cell devices. In this work, we present a facile template‐free strategy for the synthesis of Fe,Co−N‐doped porous carbon (Fe,Co−NPC) with a hierarchical porous feature. The Fe,Co−NPC was obtained by hydrothermal polymerization of o ‐phenylenediamine and citric acid in the presence of Fe salt and Co salt, and subsequent thermal treatment at elevated temperatures. The selective use of citric acid and Co(NO 3 ) 2 plays a critical role in facilitating the in situ formation of a hierarchically porous carbon architecture with high surface area. The Fe,Co−NPC obtained at the pyrolysis temperature of 800 °C (Fe,Co−NPC‐800) is demonstrated to be a highly active electrocatalyst for the ORR, with an onset potential and half‐wave potential comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst in both acidic and alkaline solutions. Moreover, it also exhibits much higher stability and better methanol tolerance than commercial Pt/C. The results demonstrate that the obtained Fe,Co−NPC is a promising candidate for practical electrocatalytic applications with a simple preparation scheme and enhanced performance.