高分散Fe-N-C氧还原反应电催化剂及其在直接甲醇燃料电池中的应用（英文）

氧还原反应(ORR)是燃料电池和金属空气电池等洁净发电装置中阴极的主要反应,该反应动力学过程慢,电化学极化严重.Pt基电催化剂具有较好的ORR活性,然而Pt资源有限、价格昂贵,研制高活性、低成本的代Pt电催化剂意义重大.经过几十年的探索,研究者发现将含有C,N和Fe等元素的前体进行高温热处理得到的Fe-N-C电催化剂对ORR具有良好的活性,然而在高温热解过程中Fe容易发生聚集而形成大块颗粒,导致Fe的利用率不高,影响了电催化剂的ORR活性.本文分别以聚吡咯和乙二胺四乙酸二钠(EDTA-2Na)为C和N的前驱体,利用高温热解形成的富含微孔的碳材料对铁前体的吸附及锚定作用,获得了一种Fe高度分散的Fe-N-C电催化剂.采用物理吸脱附技术、高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)和扫描电镜对Fe-N-C及其制备过程中相关电催化剂的孔结构及表面形貌进行了表征.结果表明,在第一步热解过程中,EDTA-2Na的Na对碳材料起到了活化作用,形成富含微孔的N掺杂碳材料(N-C-1),其BET比表面积达到1227 m~2/g,孔径约1.1 nm.在第二步热解过程中,N-C-1有效地抑制了Fe的聚集,产物Fe-N-C中的Fe元素均匀地分布在碳材料中,其比表面积高达1501 m~2/g.电化学测试结果表明,在碱性介质(0.1 mol/L NaOH)中,Fe-N-C电催化剂对ORR具有良好的催化活性,ORR起始电位(E_o)为1.08 V(vs.RHE),半波电位(E_(1/2))0.88 V,电子转移数n接近4,H_2O_2产率3%,与商品20%Pt/C(Johnson Matthey)接近.电化学加速老化测试结果表明,Fe-N-C的E_(1/2)未发生明显变化,而Pt的负移45 mV,表明Fe-N-C具有很好的稳定性;在酸性介质(0.1 mol/L HClO_4)中,Fe-N-C的E_o为0.85 V,E_(1/2)为0.75 V,其E_(1/2)比Pt/C负移约0.15 V,表明在酸性介质中Fe-N-C对ORR的催化活性还有待提高.采用TEM、X射线衍射、X射线光电子能谱以及穆斯堡尔谱等方法研究了电催化剂构效关系.结果表明,Fe-N-C较好的ORR活性主要来自于高分散的Fe-N_4结构,此外,N(吡啶N和石墨N)掺杂的C也对反应具有一定的催化活性.与Pt/C相比,Fe-N-C电催化剂具有很好的耐甲醇性能.本文对比了Fe-N-C和Pt/C作为阴极催化剂的直接醇类燃料电池(DMFC)性能,采用质子交换膜的DMFC最大功率密度分别为47(Fe-N-C)和79 mW/cm~2(Pt/C),而采用碱性电解质膜的则分别为33(Fe-N-C)和8 mW/cm~2(Pt/C).结合半电池结果表明,Fe-N-C电催化剂在碱性介质中具有比Pt更为优秀的催化活性和稳定性,有望用作DMFC阴极代Pt催化剂.     

一步热解核黄素制备高性能氧还原反应电催化剂

质子交换膜燃料电池具有零污染、能量密度高、操作温度低和超静低音等优点,因而广泛应用于新能源汽车动力电源.然而质子交换膜燃料电池阴极氧还原反应(ORR)过程缓慢且复杂,因此需要大量的高性能ORR电催化剂.商品铂基催化剂是目前最为广泛使用的ORR催化剂,然而其高昂的价格阻碍了燃料电池汽车的商业化进程.因此,近年来人们致力于研发高性能的非贵金属ORR催化剂,并成功获得了具有高ORR活性及优异稳定性的催化剂.然而开发贵金属替代催化剂还存在制备过程较为复杂、单体有毒等缺点.核黄素具有成本低廉、无毒、氮含量高等优点,本文将其直接作为碳源和氮源,以无水氯化铁为铁前驱体,通过简单的一步热解法制备了高性能的Fe-N-C催化剂.表征结果表明,合成的催化剂表面由于氮的掺杂导致石墨烯存在较多的缺陷,其比表面积为301 m2 g-1且孔径分布主要位于45 nm处;催化剂由很薄、卷曲的石墨烯片层和一些颗粒组成,其中的碳材料高度石墨化且存在Fe2O3晶体.结合X射线光电子能谱和催化剂的ORR活性,推导出石墨化氮为ORR的主要活性位,铁在ORR反应中也起着重要作用.在氧气饱和的0.1 mol L-1 KOH溶液中,Fe-N-C催化剂的ORR活性达到4.16 mA cm-2,与商品Pt/C催化剂相当(4.46 mA cm-2).采用计时电流法在0.66 V(相对于RHE电位)下运行3 h后,Fe-N-C催化剂电流仅下降了3%,而Pt/C催化剂下降了40%,表明Fe-N-C催化剂与Pt/C催化剂具有相近的ORR活性,但稳定性比Pt/C催化剂更出色.测试结果表明,Fe-N-C催化剂的抗甲醇毒化性能远优于Pt/C催化剂.在酸性介质中,Fe-N-C催化剂的ORR活性比Pt/C催化剂低,但稳定性更高.总之,该Fe-N-C催化剂在碱性介质中有较高的活性和稳定性,在酸性介质中有较高的稳定性.因此,我们采用廉价、无毒的核黄素作为碳氮源,通过简单的一步热解法制备出的Fe-N-C催化剂能较好地满足燃料电池ORR催化剂高性能和低成本的要求,具有很好的应用前景.     

包覆氮化铁的Fe,N掺杂碳纳米纤维的制备及对氧还原反应的催化性能

通过静电纺丝、碳化和氨气刻蚀制备了具有核-壳结构的包覆氮化铁(FexN)纳米颗粒的Fe,N共掺杂多孔碳纳米纤维(FexN@Fe-N-C),并研究了其在酸性和碱性介质中对氧还原反应(ORR)的电催化性能.结果表明,该催化剂具有优异的氧还原催化活性,在酸性介质中的半波电位(E1/2)可达0. 81 V(vs. RHE),在碱性条件下的E1/2高达0. 897 V,高于商业Pt/C催化剂.在酸性介质中经过10000周加速衰减测试后,FexN@Fe-N-C的E1/2仅衰减了26 m V,展示出极佳的耐久性.离子探针和浓酸刻蚀实验结果表明,Fe-Nx以及FexN纳米颗粒均对ORR有重要催化作用.     

一步热解核黄素制备高性能氧还原反应电催化剂（英文）

质子交换膜燃料电池具有零污染、能量密度高、操作温度低和超静低音等优点,因而广泛应用于新能源汽车动力电源.然而质子交换膜燃料电池阴极氧还原反应(ORR)过程缓慢且复杂,因此需要大量的高性能ORR电催化剂.商品铂基催化剂是目前最为广泛使用的ORR催化剂,然而其高昂的价格阻碍了燃料电池汽车的商业化进程.因此,近年来人们致力于研发高性能的非贵金属ORR催化剂,并成功获得了具有高ORR活性及优异稳定性的催化剂.然而开发贵金属替代催化剂还存在制备过程较为复杂、单体有毒等缺点.核黄素具有成本低廉、无毒、氮含量高等优点,本文将其直接作为碳源和氮源,以无水氯化铁为铁前驱体,通过简单的一步热解法制备了高性能的Fe–N–C催化剂.表征结果表明,合成的催化剂表面由于氮的掺杂导致石墨烯存在较多的缺陷,其比表面积为301 m~2g~(–1)且孔径分布主要位于45 nm处;催化剂由很薄、卷曲的石墨烯片层和一些颗粒组成,其中的碳材料高度石墨化且存在Fe_2O_3晶体.结合X射线光电子能谱和催化剂的ORR活性,推导出石墨化氮为ORR的主要活性位,铁在ORR反应中也起着重要作用.在氧气饱和的0.1 mol L~(–1) KOH溶液中,Fe–N–C催化剂的ORR活性达到4.16 mA cm~(–2),与商品Pt/C催化剂相当(4.46 mA cm~(–2)).采用计时电流法在0.66 V(相对于RHE电位)下运行3 h后,Fe–N–C催化剂电流仅下降了3%,而Pt/C催化剂下降了40%,表明Fe–N–C催化剂与Pt/C催化剂具有相近的ORR活性,但稳定性比Pt/C催化剂更出色.测试结果表明,Fe–N–C催化剂的抗甲醇毒化性能远优于Pt/C催化剂.在酸性介质中,Fe–N–C催化剂的ORR活性比Pt/C催化剂低,但稳定性更高.总之,该Fe–N–C催化剂在碱性介质中有较高的活性和稳定性,在酸性介质中有较高的稳定性.因此,我们采用廉价、无毒的核黄素作为碳氮源,通过简单的一步热解法制备出的Fe–N–C催化剂能较好地满足燃料电池ORR催化剂高性能和低成本的要求,具有很好的应用前景.     

介孔结构Fe/N/C作为质子交换膜燃料电池氧还原催化剂

燃料电池具有高效、低排放等优势,非常有希望作为未来电动汽车的能源转化装置.目前,燃料电池的商业化受制于昂贵的铂基催化剂,特别是动力学迟缓的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)铂催化剂. Fe/N/C被认为是最有潜力的ORR非贵金属催化剂,但其活性仍远低于Pt催化剂,必须依靠增加载量来弥补其与Pt催化剂的活性差距.然而,较厚的催化层(~100mm)会降低阴极传质速率.因此,改善Fe/N/C阴极的传质是提高电池性能的重要途径.
　　本文选择高N含量的2-氨基苯并咪唑(ABI)为氮源,通过水热聚合包覆在碳黑表面,然后掺入FeCl3,经高温热解/酸洗制备了Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂,并与基于间苯二胺的微孔型Fe/N/C催化剂(Fe/N/C-PmPDA)进行比较. Ar等温吸附-脱附结果表明, Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂具有较高的比表面积(662 m2/g)和丰富的双级孔结构(微孔和介孔);透射电镜表征显示Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂具有中空结构,介孔孔径大约为10–25 nm.而Fe/N/C-PmPDA催化剂具有相当的比表面积(656 m2/g),但以微孔为主,基本不含介孔.旋转环圆盘电极(RRDE)测试表明,在0.1 mol/L H2SO4溶液中, Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂的起始还原电位为0.92 V,在0.8 V电位下质量电流密度可达9.21 A/g;而Fe/N/C-PmPDA催化剂具有相近的起始电位,但具有更高的催化活性,质量电流密度为13.4 A/g.氢氧燃料电池(PEMFC)系统测试结果表明, Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂在1个背压和80oC测试条件下的最大功率密度达710 mW/cm2,高于Fe/N/C-PmPDA催化剂(616 mW/cm2).燃料电池与RRDE测试活性顺序的差异归结于Fe/N/C-ABI的中空球状结构. PEMFC工作时阴极会产生大量的水,很容易堵塞氧气传输通道. Fe/N/C-ABI的介孔结构可以作为水的产生和排除的缓存空间,也有利于提高O2传质,从而提高燃料电池性能.本文为具有高传质速率的Fe/N/C催化剂研制提供了一种新思路.     

高分散钴氮共掺杂碳纳米纤维氧还原催化剂

过渡金属氮掺杂碳基催化剂已成为替代铂基氧还原反应(ORR)电催化剂的理想选择。本文通过静电纺丝技术制备了高比表面、高度分散的钴原子配位氮掺杂的碳纳米纤维催化剂(Co-N/C)。X射线衍射(XRD)和高分辨率透射电镜(HRTEM)结果证实Co元素高度分散于制备的Co-N/C催化剂中。X射线光电子能谱结果表明N元素主要以吡啶N和石墨N形式存在。该Co-N/C催化剂对ORR反应呈现出较高的电催化活性,其氧还原起始和半波电位分别为0.92 V和0.80 V(相对于标准氢电极),接近于商业化Pt/C催化剂的性能。以制备的Co-N/C催化剂作为阴极,25℃下锌空气燃料电池的开路电位1.54 V、最大功率密度达到了190 m V·cm~(-2)表明该催化剂具有良好的应用前景。     

介孔结构Fe/N/C作为质子交换膜燃料电池氧还原催化剂（英文）

燃料电池具有高效、低排放等优势,非常有希望作为未来电动汽车的能源转化装置.目前,燃料电池的商业化受制于昂贵的铂基催化剂,特别是动力学迟缓的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)铂催化剂.Fe/N/C被认为是最有潜力的ORR非贵金属催化剂,但其活性仍远低于Pt催化剂,必须依靠增加载量来弥补其与Pt催化剂的活性差距.然而,较厚的催化层(~100μm)会降低阴极传质速率.因此,改善Fe/N/C阴极的传质是提高电池性能的重要途径.本文选择高N含量的2-氨基苯并咪唑(ABI)为氮源,通过水热聚合包覆在碳黑表面,然后掺入FeCl_3,经高温热解/酸洗制备了Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂,并与基于间苯二胺的微孔型Fe/N/C催化剂(Fe/N/C-Pm PDA)进行比较.Ar等温吸附-脱附结果表明,Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂具有较高的比表面积(662 m2/g)和丰富的双级孔结构(微孔和介孔);透射电镜表征显示Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂具有中空结构,介孔孔径大约为10–25 nm.而Fe/N/C-Pm PDA催化剂具有相当的比表面积(656 m2/g),但以微孔为主,基本不含介孔.旋转环圆盘电极(RRDE)测试表明,在0.1 mol/L H2SO4溶液中,Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂的起始还原电位为0.92 V,在0.8 V电位下质量电流密度可达9.21 A/g;而Fe/N/C-Pm PDA催化剂具有相近的起始电位,但具有更高的催化活性,质量电流密度为13.4 A/g.氢氧燃料电池(PEMFC)系统测试结果表明,Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂在1个背压和80 oC测试条件下的最大功率密度达710 m W/cm2,高于Fe/N/C-Pm PDA催化剂(616 m W/cm2).燃料电池与RRDE测试活性顺序的差异归结于Fe/N/C-ABI的中空球状结构.PEMFC工作时阴极会产生大量的水,很容易堵塞氧气传输通道.Fe/N/C-ABI的介孔结构可以作为水的产生和排除的缓存空间,也有利于提高O_2传质,从而提高燃料电池性能.本文为具有高传质速率的Fe/N/C催化剂研制提供了一种新思路.     

银耳状Fe-N-C复合催化剂的制备及催化氧还原性能研究

以无机铁盐和邻苯二胺为基础原料,经铁基螯合前驱体热解反应,制备出Fe-N-C复合催化剂.经扫描电镜观察,带有折褶的碳微纳米片相互交迭,形成银耳状的三维自支撑结构.氮气吸脱附测试表明此结构富含微孔和介孔,比表面积可达290 m2/g.通过X射线衍射(XRD)确证石墨化C和多晶Fe3C作为催化剂主相存在, X射线光电子能谱(XPS)进一步揭示N原子主要以石墨N和吡啶N形式掺杂到C骨架中.电化学测试表明银耳状Fe-N-C复合催化剂在碱性条件下催化氧还原反应为四电子过程,其催化活性可媲美商业Pt/C催化剂.经过2000次氧还原测试后,催化极限电流衰减小于5%,并且半波电势仅负移5 mV(商业Pt/C催化剂负移35 mV),表现出优异的氧还原催化稳定性.     

Co3O4/聚吡咯/石墨烯碱性溶液中电化学还原氧

燃料电池具有较高的能量密度和发电效率,以清洁能源为原料,零污染排放,是一种具有发展前景的能量储存和转化装置.阴极氧还原反应(ORR)在燃料电池中起着关键作用.ORR广泛采用贵金属铂基催化剂,但是它们价格昂贵,电子动力学转移速率慢,碱性条件下易团聚,这些亟需解决的问题阻碍了燃料电池商业化进程.近期,一些非贵金属催化剂被广泛研究,例如氮掺杂碳材料、Fe/N/C和Co/N/C材料等,它们有可能在未来替代铂基催化剂.我们的目标是合成新型高催化活性的Co/N/C及其衍生非贵金属材料,用于ORR催化反应.由于石墨烯具有独特的形貌、较大的比表面积和良好的导电性,其表面含有功能化的官能团,所以我们选择石墨烯作为碳载体.首先,用改性休克尔方法合成了氧化石墨烯(GO),为了提高其催化活性,采用聚吡咯作为氮源对其进行了氮掺杂,制备了聚吡咯/氧化石墨烯(Ppy/GO).通过ORR催化性能测试发现,GO对ORR具有一定的催化活性,它的起始电位和阴极电流电位分别为–0.31 V vs SCE和–0.38 V vs SCE;Ppy/GO的起始电位和阴极电流电位分别为–0.20 V vs SCE和–0.38 V vs SCE,氮掺杂对GO的催化活性有所提高.采用水热法沉积氧化钴合成了Co3O4/聚吡咯/氧化石墨烯(Co3O4/Ppy/GO).其形貌为Co3O4分散在氮掺杂GO表面.在KOH电解质(0.1 mol/L)中测试,Co3O4/Ppy/GO的起始电位和阴极电流电位分别为–0.20 V和–0.38 V vs SCE.经过800℃高温煅烧处理后,Co3O4/Ppy/GO-800的催化活性明显提高,起始电位和阴极电流电位分别达到–0.10 V和–0.18 V vs SCE.ORR电子转移数为3.4,接近于4电子反应途径.Co3O4/Ppy/GO对ORR的催化活性及4电子催化选择性较高,可能是由于纳米形态的Co3O4和Ppy/GO之间具有较强的表面作用力,聚吡咯掺杂的氧化石墨烯具有较强的电子储存及释放能力.综上,我们通过水热法制备了钴、氮共掺杂的GO,并研究了其对ORR的催化活性和电子转移选择性.结果表明Co3O4/Ppy/GO是一种高效的非贵金属电催化剂,在碱性电解质中具有很高的ORR催化活性,在燃料电池阴极催化剂方面很有前景.     

基于氮掺杂碳载铁复合物的锌空电池氧阴极催化剂

迫在眉睫的环境和能源问题推动人类探索可行、可靠和可再生的能源技术.锌-空气电池和氢氧燃料电池等器件显示出高能量转换效率,但是仍有许多难题有待克服,例如阴极侧上缓慢的氧还原反应(ORR),以及高昂的成本极大地限制了铂基催化剂在商业上的广泛应用.因此,开发高性能的廉价ORR催化剂具有重要意义.过渡金属碳氮化合物(M-N-C, M=Co, Fe等)成为最有希望替代铂基催化剂的一类材料, M-N-C催化剂可以通过直接热解含有过渡金属、氮和碳物种的前驱体合成.然而热解时金属原子易团聚,多孔结构不能被有效地控制,导致相对较差的催化活性.目前, MOF衍生的催化剂在能源转化和储存技术中得到了广泛的关注,其具有丰富的氮含量、高比表面积和可调的孔道结构等特点.本文报道了一种简便可靠可控的合成铁氮共掺杂碳十二面体纳米结构催化剂的方法,并作为阴极电催化剂用于锌空气电池中,测试结果证实,合成的铁氮共掺杂的纳米碳具有与铂基材料相当的活性和更加优异的稳定性.表面吸附了的邻菲罗啉铁的ZIF-8在碳化过程中,氮基团能够结合铁形成Fe Nx结构单元,因此可得到铁氮共掺杂的电催化剂.粉末X射线衍射,扫描电镜证实ZIF-8的成功合成.经过热解得到的催化剂中Fe Nx或Fe Cx衍射峰较弱,表明样品中铁含量较低,存在部分无定型铁.通过拉曼光谱分析发现,引入的邻菲罗啉在热解过程中诱导了缺陷的形成,所以Fe-NCDNA-0的ID/IG比值明显高于NC.同时ID/IG随着铁含量的增加而减少,这是因为铁可以诱导石墨化,诱导效应随着铁含量的增加而增加.分析氮气吸附-脱附等温线得出,引入邻菲罗啉之后,比表面积增加;而铁的引入因其占据了微孔结构,导致比表面积下降.同时电镜证实Fe-NCDNA-2具有较大的形貌扭曲,使得该材料具有较大的比表面积.系统的电化学研究表明,氮掺杂有利于增强ORR活性,在引入铁之后形成高效的活性中心会进一步提高催化性能.因此, Fe-NCDNA-2在碱性条件下表现出优异的ORR性能.线性扫描伏安法曲线表明,铁氮共掺杂的材料表现出与Pt/C相似的性能,其中Fe-NCDNA-2的半波电位(E1/2)为0.863 V,比商业Pt/C的电位更正(E1/2=0.841 V).同时, Fe-NCDNA-2具有更加优异的稳定性,测试30000 s后的电流保持率为80%(Pt/C:64%).在中性介质中,合成的材料也展示了较高的ORR活性.Fe-NCDNA-2的E1/2=0.715 V,催化30000 s后电流保持率77%,均优于商业Pt/C催化剂.组装的锌空气电池进一步验证其作为氧还原催化剂实际应用的可行性.相比于以Pt/C为催化剂做空气阴极的电池,以Fe-NCDNA-2组装的电池表现出更高的开路电压,更高的功率密度(184 m Wcm^-2),以及更加优异的充放电循环稳定性.该工作也有利于启发研究人员探索类似的氮掺杂过渡金属碳材料在各种催化上的应用.     

Synthesis and characterization of iron‐ and nitrogen‐functionalized graphene catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Iron‐ and nitrogen‐functionalized graphene (Fe‐N‐G), as well as iron‐ and nitrogen‐functionalized oxidized graphene (Fe‐N‐Gox) catalysts were synthesized as non‐noble metal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The physical properties of the resultant catalysts were characterized using nitrogen adsorption measurements, X‐ray diffraction, Raman and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, ORR activities of the catalysts were determined electrochemically using a conventional three‐electrode cell via cyclic voltammetry with a rotating disc electrode, the results of which indicated that the synthesized catalysts had a marked electrocatalytic activity towards ORR in acid media. Among the synthesized catalysts, that functionalized using 2,4,6‐tris(2‐pyridyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine as nitrogen source had the highest electrocatalytic activity with the highest onset potential (0.98 V/SHE) and limiting current density (5.12 mA cm⁻²). The findings are particularly important to determine a non‐precious metal catalyst for ORR activity in fuel cells.     

Synergistic Enhancement of Electrocatalytic Activity toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Electrolytes with Pentabasic (Fe,B, N,S, P)‐Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide

As alternatives to Pt‐based electrocatalysts, the development of nonprecious metal catalysts with high performance in the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is highly desirable for widespread use in fuel cells. Here we report a simple approach for preparing pentabasic (Fe, B, N, S, P)‐doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via a two‐step doping method of adding boric acid and ferric chloride to ternary (N, S, P)‐doped rGO (NSPG). Electrochemical investigation of the composites for the ORR revealed that simultaneously doping appropriate amounts of Fe and B into the NSPG produced a synergistic effect that endowed the prepared catalyst with both a positively shifted ORR half‐wave potential and high selectivity for the 4e^? reduction of O₂. The optimized Fe₂B‐NSPG catalyst approached a 4e^? process for the ORR with a half‐wave potential (E_1/2=0.90 V vs. RHE) even 30 mV higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline solution. Furthermore, relative to the Pt/C catalyst, the Fe₂B‐NSPG demonstrated superior stability and excellent tolerance of the methanol cross‐over effect. This simple method afforded pentabasic (Fe, B, N, S, P)‐doped rGO as a promising nonprecious metal catalyst used for alkaline fuel cells.     

S‐Doping of an Fe/N/C ORR Catalyst for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with High Power Density

Fe/N/C is a promising non‐Pt electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but its catalytic activity is considerably inferior to that of Pt in acidic medium, the environment of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). An improved Fe/N/C catalyst (denoted as Fe/N/C‐SCN) derived from Fe(SCN)₃, poly‐m‐phenylenediamine, and carbon black is presented. The advantage of using Fe(SCN)₃ as iron source is that the obtained catalyst has a high level of S doping and high surface area, and thus exhibits excellent ORR activity (23 A g^?1 at 0.80 V) in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solution. When the Fe/N/C‐SCN was applied in a PEMFC as cathode catalyst, the maximal power density could exceed 1 W cm^?2.     

Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) Catalysts Based on Single Iron Atoms Dispersed on a Hierarchically Structured Porous Carbon Framework

Single Fe atoms dispersed on hierarchically structured porous carbon (SA‐Fe‐HPC) frameworks are prepared by pyrolysis of unsubstituted phthalocyanine/iron phthalocyanine complexes confined within micropores of the porous carbon support. The single‐atom Fe catalysts have a well‐defined atomic dispersion of Fe atoms coordinated by N ligands on the 3D hierarchically porous carbon support. These SA‐Fe‐HPC catalysts are comparable to the commercial Pt/C electrode even in acidic electrolytes for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in terms of the ORR activity (E_1/2=0.81 V), but have better long‐term electrochemical stability (7 mV negative shift after 3000 potential cycles) and fuel selectivity. In alkaline media, the SA‐Fe‐HPC catalysts outperform the commercial Pt/C electrode in ORR activity (E_1/2=0.89 V), fuel selectivity, and long‐term stability (1 mV negative shift after 3000 potential cycles). Thus, these nSA‐Fe‐HPCs are promising non‐platinum‐group metal ORR catalysts for fuel‐cell technologies.     

Red-blood-cell like nitrogen-doped carbons with highly catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction

A highly active nitrogen-doped catalyst with a unique red-blood-cell(RBC) like structure is reported for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).The catalyst Fe,N-C@carbon-900 was prepared by pyrolysis of the polyaniline(PANl) and polystyrene(PS) composites with adsorption of ferric ion on the shell of sphere structure at 900℃.Fe,N-C@carbon-900 with a unique RBC-like structure provides plenty of catalytic sites combining the electrical conductivity of the carbon sphere with the catalytic activity of the nitrogen-doped layer.The four-electron reduction pathway is selected for the catalyst Fe,N-C@carbon-900.The catalyst exhibit the ORR E_(onset) at 0.87 V(potentials is versus to reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)),E_(1/2) at 0.78 V and high diffusion-limiting current density(5.20mA/cm~2).Furthermore,this work indicates that both N and Fe accounted for high activity of the catalyst Fe,N-C@carbon-900 toward the oxygen reduction process.It is concluded that Fe and N exhibit synergistically promotion in the ORR activity for the catalyst Fe,N-C@carbon-900.We also provide a rational design of electrocatalysts with high ORR activity to further clarify the essential ORR sites of heteroatom doped carbon materials for fuel cells and metal-air battery applications.     

CoPy/C催化剂应用碱性介质氧还原催化的电化学性能

利用碳黑（Vulcan XC-72R）中加入硫酸钴和吡啶（Py）作为催化剂前驱体,经溶剂分散热处理构建了一类新型的高效氧还原CoPy/C复合催化剂.并运用循环伏安法（CV）和旋转圆盘电极（RDE）技术研究了不同Co含量的CoPy/C催化剂在碱性介质中对氧还原的电催化活性.结果表明:Co的存在对氧的催化剂活性位的形成有重要影响,800℃下所制备的10%Co30%Py/C（质量分数）复合催化剂表现出最佳的氧还原催化活性.以其制备的气体扩散电极在3.0 mol·L^-1KOH电解质溶液（O₂气氛）中0.014 V（相对于标准氧电极（RHE））即可产生明显的氧还原电流.同40%Py/C相比,10%Co30%Py/C催化氧还原的起峰电位正移了71 mV,同时表现出明显的极限扩散电流.在-0.16 V时电流密度达到最大值,电流密度为1.0 mA·cm^-2,半波电位在-0.07 V.透射电镜分析表明所制备的碳黑载吡啶钴（10%Co30%Py/C）催化剂平均粒径为20 nm.     

Pyrolytic Carbon‐coated Cu‐Fe Alloy Nanoparticles with High Catalytic Performance for Oxygen Electroreduction

Well‐dispersed carbon‐coated or nitrogen‐doped carbon‐coated copper‐iron alloy nanoparticles (FeCu@C or FeCu@C?N) in carbon‐based supports are obtained using a bimetallic metal‐organic framework (Cu/Fe‐MOF‐74) or a mixture of Cu/Fe‐MOF‐74 and melamine as sacrificial templates and an active‐component precursor by using a pyrolysis method. The investigation results attest formation of Cu?Fe alloy nanoparticles. The obtained FeCu@C catalyst exhibits a catalytic activity with a half‐wave potential of 0.83 V for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium, comparable to that on commercial Pt/C catalyst (0.84 V). The catalytic activity of FeCu@C?N for ORR (E_half‐wave=0.87 V) outshines all reported analogues. The excellent performance of FeCu@C?N should be attributed to a change in the energy of the d‐band center of Cu resulting from the formation of the copper–iron alloy, the interaction between alloy nanoparticles and supports and N‐doping in the carbon matrix. Moreover, FeCu@C and FeCu@C?N show better electrochemical stability and methanol tolerance than commercial Pt/C and are expected to be widely used in practical applications.     

An Isolated Zinc–Cobalt Atomic Pair for Highly Active and Durable Oxygen Reduction

A competitive complexation strategy has been developed to construct a novel electrocatalyst with Zn‐Co atomic pairs coordinated on N doped carbon support (Zn/CoN‐C). Such architecture offers enhanced binding ability of O₂, significantly elongates the O?O length (from 1.23 Å to 1.42 Å), and thus facilitates the cleavage of O?O bond, showing a theoretical overpotential of 0.335 V during ORR process. As a result, the Zn/CoN‐C catalyst exhibits outstanding ORR performance in both alkaline and acid conditions with a half‐wave potential of 0.861 and 0.796 V respectively. The in situ XANES analysis suggests Co as the active center during the ORR. The assembled zinc–air battery with Zn/CoN‐C as cathode catalyst presents a maximum power density of 230 mW cm^?2 along with excellent operation durability. The excellent catalytic activity in acid is also verified by H₂/O₂ fuel cell tests (peak power density of 705 mW cm^?2).     

Characterization of Fe/N-doped graphene as air-cathode catalyst in microbial fuel cells

This work proposed a simple and efficient approach for synthesis of durable and efficient non-precious metal oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) electro-catalysts in MFCs. The rod-like carbon nanotubes(CNTs)were formed on the Fe–N/SLG sheets after a carbonization process. The maximum power density of1210 ± 23 m W·m~(-2) obtained with Fe–N/SLG catalyst in an MFC was 10.7% higher than that of Pt/C catalyst(1080 ± 20 mW ·m~(-2)) under the same condition. The results of RDE test show that the ORR electron transfer number of Fe–N/SLG was 3.91 ± 0.02, which suggested that ORR catalysis proceeds through a four-electron pathway. The whole time of the synthesis of electro-catalysts is about 10 h, making the research take a solid step in the MFC expansion due to its low-cost, high efficiency and favorable electrochemical performance. Besides, we compared the electrochemical properties of catalysts using SLG, high conductivity graphene(HCG, a kind of multilayer graphene) and high activity graphene(HAG, a kind of GO) under the same conditions, providing a solution for optimal selection of cathode catalyst in MFCs.The morphology, crystalline structure, elemental composition and ORR activity of these three kinds of Fe–N/C catalysts were characterized. Their ORR activities were compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst.It demonstrates that this kind of Fe–N/SLG can be a type of promising highly efficient catalyst and could enhance ORR performance of MFCs.