Premium
Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanosheets Encapsulating Cobalt Nanoparticle Hybrids as High‐Performance Bifunctional Electrocatalysts
Author(s) -
Zheng Dandan,
Ci Suqin,
Cai Pingwei,
Wang Genxiang,
Wen Zhenhai
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.201900355
Subject(s) - bifunctional , catalysis , materials science , cobalt , oxygen evolution , electrolyte , chemical engineering , reversible hydrogen electrode , nanoparticle , carbon fibers , battery (electricity) , cathode , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , electrode , electrochemistry , chemistry , working electrode , metallurgy , composite number , organic chemistry , composite material , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Developing efficient and low‐cost catalysts with excellent catalytic activities for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of significance for large‐scale commercial applications in rechargeable Zn−air batteries and fuel cells. Herein, we develop a simple, mild and efficient method to synthesize a hybrid of N‐doped carbon nanosheets encapsulating cobalt nanoparticles (Co@NCNSs), which shows favorable catalytic properties toward both ORR and OER with high activity and good stability. The optimized hybrids (Co@NCNSs‐900) exhibit an onset potential of 0.95 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a half‐wave potential of 0.85 V vs. RHE for the ORR, and an onset potential of 1.51 V vs. RHE, a potential of 1.59 V vs. RHE at 10 mA cm −2 for the OER, as well as an oxygen electrode activity parameter (Δ E ) of 0.802 V in alkaline electrolyte. Moreover, the Zn−air battery with the Co@NCNSs‐900 as the cathode catalyst outperforms that with the commercial Pt/C as cathode catalyst in terms of the maximum power density and stability, showing great prospects in renewable energy applications.