A phase-transition-assisted method for the rational synthesis of nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon materials for the oxygen reduction reaction. Issue 3 (8th January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Wei; Ding, Wei; Jiang, Jinxia; He, Qian; Tao, Sicheng; Wang, Wanglan; Li, Jing; Wei, Zidong
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 6:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 878
• Page End: 883
• Publication Date: 2018-01-08
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/c7ta09435c
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7488

Abstract

Abstract : By a novel phase-transition-assisted strategy, the porosity of carbon materials can be fine tuned from the micrometer to the nanometer level, and the functionality of carbon surfaces can be better controlled to achieve an excellent performance for the catalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction. Abstract : Herein, we report a phase-transition-assisted strategy that uses gas–liquid separation coupled with a gas–liquid interfacial reaction during the phase transition of precursors for constructing hierarchically porous carbon materials (HPCMs) with tunable interconnected macropore channels, and simultaneously conducting the formation of active sites along these channel walls for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A HPCM with an ultrahigh specific surface area of 1141.41 m 2 g −1 and a highly interconnected macroporous network was produced, in which the active sites are exactly located on the mass-transport channels. By adjusting the precursor's solidification rates, the porosity of HPCMs can be exactly tuned from the micrometer to the nanometer level. Such an excellent structure, by benefiting the fast mass transport and maximizing the utilization of active sites, leads to an excellent ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.901 V which exceeds that of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst by 40 mV.