Synthesis of modified fullerenes for oxygen reduction reactions

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key process common in several energy converting systems or electro-chemical technologies such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries, oxygen sensors, etc. , which is based on the use of expensive and scarcely available platinum metal. In the search for carbon-bas...

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Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2016-01, Vol.4 (37), p.14284-1429
Main Authors: María Girón, Rosa, Marco-Martínez, Juan, Bellani, Sebastiano, Insuasty, Alberto, Comas Rojas, Hansel, Tullii, Gabriele, Antognazza, Maria Rosa, Filippone, Salvatore, Martín, Nazario
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Derivatives
Fullerenes
Metallofullerenes
Oxygen
Oxygen probes
Reduction (metal working)
Searching
Synthesis (chemistry)
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Summary:The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key process common in several energy converting systems or electro-chemical technologies such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries, oxygen sensors, etc. , which is based on the use of expensive and scarcely available platinum metal. In the search for carbon-based catalysts for ORRs, two different classes of new fullerene hybrids and metal-free fullerene derivatives endowed with suitable active sites have been prepared by highly selective metal- and organo-catalyzed synthetic methodologies. Along with their classical behavior as electron acceptors in polymer-based photo-electrochemical cells, the new fullerene derivatives are able to efficiently catalyze ORRs by using no metals or very low amounts of metals. Remarkably, the activity of metal-free fullerenes has proved to be as high as that observed for metallofullerenes bearing noble metals, and up to ten-fold higher than that of PCBM. Suitably functionalized fullerenes bearing an active metal atom or just an active hydrogen atom behave simultaneously as electron acceptors in bulk heterojunction devices and as catalysts for ORRs. Remarkably, metal-free fullerene derivatives proved to be as active as the related hybrids.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/c6ta06573b