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Facile synthesis and electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction of boron‐doped carbon catalysts on graphene sheets
Author(s) -
Suo Ni,
Huang Hao,
Wang Xi,
Hou Xiaoduo,
Shao Zhigang,
Zhang Guifeng
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
fuel cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1615-6854
pISSN - 1615-6846
DOI - 10.1002/fuce.202000175
Subject(s) - catalysis , boron , graphene , electrochemistry , carbon fibers , dopant , materials science , inorganic chemistry , electrocatalyst , methanol , doping , oxygen , chemical engineering , chemistry , nanotechnology , electrode , composite number , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , engineering , composite material
Boron‐doped carbon catalysts are synthesized via a liquid‐phase electrodeposition technique using methanol‐containing graphene nucleating agent and B 2 O 3 dopant as the reaction solution. The relationship between boron‐doped content and specific surface area (SSA), as well as their influence on electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction, is studied by changing the concentration of B 2 O 3 . When the concentrations of B 2 O 3 are 23.94 and 14.36 mol ml –1 , respectively, boron‐doped content and SSA reach the peak values of 0.53 at.% and 18.476 m 2 g –1 . The data of electrochemical tests, such as onset potential of –0.016 V and transferred electron number of 3.74–3.77 in the range of –0.5 to –0.9 V, exhibit that the catalyst with a boron‐doped content of 0.47 at.% and an SSA of 18.476 m 2 g –1 has the best electrocatalytic activity in all the synthesized samples. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity is ascribed to a synergistic effect originating from boron‐doped content and SSA, in which the SSA contributes more. The experimental results have important guiding significance to maximize the oxygen reduction activity of catalysts and elucidate that it tends to design and synthesize catalysts with large SSA compared with doping.