Uniform nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon nanospheres as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

• Published in: Carbon (New York) 2014-04, Vol.69, p.294-301
• Main Authors: You, Chenghang, Liao, Shijun, Li, Hualing, Hou, Sanying, Peng, Hongliang, Zeng, Xiaoyuan, Liu, Fangfang, Zheng, Ruiping, Fu, Zhiyong, Li, Yingwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; General and physical chemistry; Materials science; Methyl alcohol; Nanopowders; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanospheres; Physical and chemical studies. Granulometry. Electrokinetic phenomena; Physics; Scanning electron microscopy; Specific materials; Sulfur; Surface area; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2013.12.028

Uniform nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon nanospheres with an average diameter of approximately 200nm were prepared using sulfur and polyacrylonitrile as precursors. The materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The characterization results suggest the as-prepared materials had uniform, porous, nanospherical morphologies and high surface areas. For the typical sample containing 9.5% sulfur, the surface area is up to 653m2g−1. The catalysts exhibited enhanced catalytic activity, outstanding long-term stability, and excellent methanol tolerance in an alkaline medium. Significantly, the sulfur addition was found to be vital in improving materials’ catalytic performance through preventing aggregation of the nanospheres, constructing porous structures, increasing the surface area, and participating in the formation of active sites.