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Highly Efficient Oxygen and Hydrogen Electrocatalytic Activities of Self‐Morphogenic Nanoporous Carbon, Nitrogen Architectures
Author(s) -
Sakaushi Ken,
Uosaki Kohei
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemnanomat
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.947
H-Index - 32
ISSN - 2199-692X
DOI - 10.1002/cnma.201500189
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , tafel equation , nanoporous , catalysis , electrochemistry , chemistry , oxygen evolution , exchange current density , chemical engineering , nitrogen , carbon fibers , hydrogen , materials science , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , electrode , organic chemistry , composite material , composite number , engineering
Designing highly functional materials based on abundant elements is an important challenge. It would lead to a leap for energy conversion technology if a system comprising affordable material could work as electrocatalyst for important reactions in electrochemical energy storage and conversion and fuel production. This report shows simple nitrile chemistry as a new strategy to obtain nanoporous C,N architectures (npCNAs) with high activities for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The key is to control both morphology and chemical structure of the catalyst. The npCNAs showed the distinct four‐electron process in H 2 SO 4 solution with a high activity of 7.7 mA mg cat −1 and an exchange current density ( J 0 ) of 2.81×10 −10 A cm −2 geo (Tafel slope=ca. 120 mV dec −1 ) for the ORR and at the same time an enhanced HER activity with J 0 =1.454×10 −5 A cm −2 geo .