Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Foam Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid Solution

Metal-free, nitrogen-doped carbon foam is utilized as a model non-precious electrocatalyst system to investigate the role of nitrogen in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the absence of iron contamination. This graphene-like foam displays relatively high activity for the ORR in acid, despite be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Electrochemical Society 2016-01, Vol.163 (9), p.F1049-F1054
Main Authors: Liu, J., Yu, S., Daio, T., Ismail, M. S., Sasaki, K., Lyth, S. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Metal-free, nitrogen-doped carbon foam is utilized as a model non-precious electrocatalyst system to investigate the role of nitrogen in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the absence of iron contamination. This graphene-like foam displays relatively high activity for the ORR in acid, despite being proven free from transition-metal impurities. The onset potential is 0.85 VRHE, the mass activity is 2.8 A/g at 0.6 VRHE, and the current density is −4.0 mA/cm2. The maximum electron transfer number is calculated to be 3.6, revealing that a 4-electron pathway is possible in nitrogen-doped carbon, even in the absence of transition-metal coordination sites. The excellent electrochemical activity is attributed to the large surface area (700 m2/g), improved conductivity after graphitization, and the relatively high proportion of tertiary (graphite-like) nitrogen.
ISSN:0013-4651
1945-7111
DOI:10.1149/2.0631609jes