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Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity of Thermally Tailored Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Electrocatalysts Prepared through Plasma Synthesis
Author(s) -
Li Oi Lun,
Wada Yuta,
Kaneko Amane,
Lee Hoonseung,
Ishizaki Takahiro
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.201800063
Subject(s) - catalysis , carbon fibers , electrochemistry , nitrogen , oxygen reduction reaction , materials science , chemical vapor deposition , doping , oxygen , nanoparticle , chemical engineering , inorganic chemistry , chemical bond , nanotechnology , chemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , composite material , optoelectronics , composite number , engineering
Although nitrogen‐doped carbon catalysts are promising candidates for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs), the role of the nitrogen bonding structure, such as pyridinic‐N, amino‐N, and graphitic‐N, on the ORR activity remains controversial. Furthermore, despite recent progress in tuning the C−N chemical bonding states within the carbon materials by using chemical vapor deposition and post heat treatment, a systematic evaluation of various N moieties remains challenging, owing to the differences in the thermal stabilities of different types of bonds. Herein, we successfully designed a method to tailor pyridinic‐N, amino‐N, and graphitic‐N bonding in N‐doped carbon nanoparticles fabricated through a plasma process combined with post heat treatment. Investigations on the electrochemical performance of the fabricated materials suggested that catalysts with dominant amino‐N exhibited higher current density, where graphitic‐N has a positive effect on the ORR onset potential. This synthetic strategy provides a simple and efficient approach for studying the relationship between the C−N bonding structure and the electrochemical performance of N‐doped carbon catalysts.