Premium
N,S‐Co‐Doped Porous Carbon Nanofiber Films Derived from Fullerenes (C 60 ) as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction and a Zn–Air Battery
Author(s) -
He Zhimin,
Wei Peng,
Chen Ning,
Han Jiantao,
Lu Xing
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202004535
Subject(s) - nanofiber , carbon nanofiber , materials science , battery (electricity) , catalysis , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , carbon fibers , nanomaterials , electrode , carbon nanotube , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , composite number , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
The development of highly efficient metal‐free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted great attention for the creation of electrochemical energy devices. In this study, one‐dimensional (1 D) fullerene nanofibers prepared from liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation are first fabricated into fullerene‐derived carbon nanofiber films (FCNFs) through a simple filtration procedure. Then, pyrolysis of the FCNFs in the presence of ammonia and sulfur produces N‐ and S‐co‐doped porous carbon nanofiber films (N,S‐PCNFs). As excellent metal‐free electrocatalysts for the ORR, N,S‐PCNFs exhibit remarkable catalytic activity, superior stability, and excellent methanol tolerance in both alkaline and acidic solution. Such a high ORR performance benefits from the robust porous nanofiber network structure with high concentrations of active N‐ and S‐ groups and abundant defects. Notably, upon practical use of N,S‐PCNFs as catalysts in Zn‐air batteries, a high power density and a large operating voltage are achieved, with a performance comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. This work presents a facile strategy for the creation of a new class of energy nanomaterials based on fullerenes, demonstrating their practical uses in electrocatalytic ORR processes and Zn‐air batteries.