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Is Ammonium Peroxydisulfate Indispensable for Preparation of Aniline‐Derived Iron–Nitrogen–Carbon Electrocatalysts?
Author(s) -
Xie NanHong,
Yan XiangHui,
Xu BoQing
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201600543
Subject(s) - aniline , peroxydisulfate , catalysis , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , polymerization , carbon fibers , materials science , organic chemistry , polymer , composite material , composite number
Iron and nitrogen co‐doped carbon (Fe‐N‐C) materials are among the most active non‐precious metal catalysts that could replace Pt‐based electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and metal–air batteries. The synthesis of the Fe‐N‐C catalysts often involves the use of aniline as the precursor for both N and C and ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS) as an indispensable oxidative initiator for aniline polymerization. Herein, a detailed structure and catalytic ORR performance comparison of aniline‐derived Fe‐N‐C catalysts synthesized with and without the use of APS is reported. The APS‐free preparation, which uses Fe III ions as the Fe source as well as the aniline polymerization initiator, results in a cleaner and simpler Fe‐N‐C catalyst with a higher activity for the ORR. We show that APS is not necessary for the preparation and even detrimental to the performance of the catalyst.