High-level nitrogen-doped, micro/mesoporous carbon as an efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction: optimizing the reaction surface area by a solvent-free mechanochemical method

• Published in: New journal of chemistry 2019-07, Vol.43 (27), p.1878-1886
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wendu, Qi, Jiawei, Bai, Peiyao, Wang, Huifen, Xu, Lang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ball milling; Bicarbonates; Carbon; Catalysis; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Doping; Melamine; Nitrogen; Oxygen reduction reactions; Pore formation; Solvents; Surface area
• ISSN: 1144-0546; 1369-9261
• DOI: 10.1039/c9nj01997a

High-level nitrogen-doped (>10 at%), high-surface-area (>1600 m 2 g −1 ) micro/mesoporous carbon derived from coconut mesocarp was prepared by a solvent-free ball-milling process using melamine as a solid-state nitrogen dopant and potassium bicarbonate as a safe and green activating agent. Synergistic nitrogen doping and pore formation maximize the nitrogen doping concentration/specific surface area/pore volume and minimize the pore blockage. This nitrogen-doped porous carbon exhibits comparable catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to the commercial Pt/C catalyst in terms of the onset potential and the current density and exhibits superior stability and methanol tolerance to the benchmark catalyst, thanks to its optimized reaction surface area. Acting as an efficient metal-free ORR electrocatalyst, nitrogen-doped porous carbon derived from coconut mesocarp was prepared by a solvent-free ball-milling process.