Effect of nanoparticle composition on oxygen reduction reaction activity of Fe/N–C catalysts: a comparative study. Issue 3 (15th January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Xiaoqin; Wu, Xiuju; Niu, Yanli; Dai, Chunlong; Xu, Maowen; Hu, Weihua
• Is Part Of: Catalysis science & technology. Volume 9:Issue 3(2019)
• Page Start: 711
• Page End: 717
• Publication Date: 2019-01-15
• Subjects: Catalysis -- Periodicals; 541.395
• DOI: 10.1039/c8cy02385a
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2044-4753

Abstract

Abstract : The Fe/N–C catalyst is a type of promising catalyst to replace costly Pt/C for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Abstract : The Fe/N–C catalyst is a type of promising catalyst to replace costly Pt/C for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The Fe agglomerates in the Fe/N–C catalyst are capable of enhancing the ORR activity, but the effect of the agglomerate composition has not received prior investigation. In this paper, three Fe/N–C catalysts composed of different Fe-based nanoparticles including metal/oxide, carbide, and nitride on nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (denoted as Fe/Fe3 O4 @N-G, Fe3 C@N-G and Fe x N@N-G, respectively) are synthesized and their oxygen reduction reaction activities are compared. Electrochemical evaluation reveals an order of Fe/Fe3 O4 @N-G > Fe x N@N-G > Fe3 C@N-G in ORR activity, and the best Fe/Fe3 O4 @N-G catalyst is even superior to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Detailed structure and composition analyses suggest that the excellent catalytic performance is tightly associated with the high N (particularly pyridinic-N) dopants and the chemical composition of metal agglomerates in the catalyst. Our work explores a highly active ORR electrocatalyst and also reveals the effect of agglomerate composition on the activity, which may provide valuable insights into the rational design and controllable synthesis of sustainable high-performance ORR electrocatalysts.