Proliferating Oxygen Reduction Reaction by High Volume of Mesopores in Regular Nickel–Nitrogen Codoped Carbon Nanocubes. Issue 20 (30th August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mao, Jianxin; Liu, Peng; Li, Jiawen; Liang, Dongxue; Yan, Jianyue; Song, Wenbo
• Is Part Of: Advanced materials interfaces. Volume 6:Issue 20(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-08-30
• Subjects: mesopore -- nanocubes -- nickel–nitrogen codoped carbon -- oxygen reduction reaction -- zeolitic imidazolate framework; Materials science -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/admi.201901186
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2196-7350

Abstract

Abstract: Theoretically, nickel–nitrogen codoped carbon (Ni–N/C) is a promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. However, precisely controllable synthesis of Ni–N/C nanostructures with large surface area and high volume of mesopores remains insurmountable challenge. In this work, a mesoporous nickel–nitrogen codoped carbon nanocube (denoted as Ni–N/C‐NCs) catalyst with high specific surface area of 1085 m 2 g −1 is illustrated. The high volume of mesopores is confirmed to not only allow the great exposure of highly active C‐N site, but also facilitates the mass transfer and gas diffusion, resulting in promotion of ORR activity and kinetics. In 0.1 m KOH, a diffusion‐limited current density of 6.61 mA cm −2 is achieved, which is 20% higher than that of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C and superior to most catalysts reported to date. The Ni–N/C‐NCs prepared by the new synthetic route not only show excellent ORR performance, but also exhibit high structural thermostability, which makes it a promising catalyst for industrial applications. Abstract : Nickel–nitrogen codoped carbon nanocubes (Ni–N/C‐NCs) electrocatalyst with high volume of mesopores and regular nanostructure shows high performance for oxygen reduction reaction. The diffusion‐limited current density of 6.61 mA cm −2 of Ni–N/C‐NCs is achieved, which is about 20% higher than that of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C, comparing favorably with various nanocarbons reported so far.