Nanostructured carbons containing FeNi/NiFe2O4 supported over N-doped carbon nanofibers for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Issue 63 (11th November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aziz, Iram; Lee, JinGoo; Duran, Hatice; Kirchhoff, Katrin; Baker, Richard T.; Irvine, John T. S.; Arshad, Salman N.
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 9:Issue 63(2019)
• Page Start: 36586
• Page End: 36599
• Publication Date: 2019-11-11
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/c9ra08053h
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : Non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts on carbon materials with high durability and low cost have been developed to ameliorate the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen-evolution reaction (OER). Abstract : Non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts on carbon materials with high durability and low cost have been developed to ameliorate the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) for electrochemical energy applications such as in fuel cells and water electrolysis. Herein, two different morphologies of FeNi/NiFe2 O4 supported over hierarchical N-doped carbons were achieved via carbonization of the polymer nanofibers by controlling the ratio of metal salts to melamine: a mixture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanotubes (GNTs) supported over carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with spherical FeNi encapsulated at the tips (G/CNT@NCNF, 1 : 3), and graphene sheets wrapped CNFs with embedded needle-like FeNi (GS@NCNF, 2 : 3). G/CNT@NCNF shows excellent ORR activity (on-set potential: 0.948 V vs. RHE) and methanol tolerance, whilst GS@NCNF exhibited significantly lower over-potential of only 230 mV at 10 mA cm −2 for OER. Such high activities are due to the synergistic effects of bimetallic NPs encapsulated at CNT tips and N-doped carbons with unique hierarchical structures and the desired defects.