Nitrogen-doped graphene and its iron-based composite as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Khaled Parvez - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)
  • Shubin Yang - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)
  • Yenny Hernandez - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)
  • Andreas Winter - , Bielefeld University (Author)
  • Andrey Turchanin - , Bielefeld University (Author)
  • Xinliang Feng - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)
  • Klaus Müllen - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)

Abstract

The high cost of platinum-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has hindered the practical application of fuel cells. Thanks to its unique chemical and structural properties, nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) is among the most promising metal-free catalysts for replacing platinum. In this work, we have developed a cost-effective synthesis of NG by using cyanamide as a nitrogen source and graphene oxide as a precursor, which led to high and controllable nitrogen contents (4.0% to 12.0%) after pyrolysis. NG thermally treated at 900 °C shows a stable methanol crossover effect, high current density (6.67 mA cm-2), and durability (∼87% after 10-000 cycles) when catalyzing ORR in alkaline solution. Further, iron (Fe) nanoparticles could be incorporated into NG with the aid of Fe(III) chloride in the synthetic process. This allows one to examine the influence of non-noble metals on the electrocatalytic performance. Remarkably, we found that NG supported with 5 wt % Fe nanoparticles displayed an excellent methanol crossover effect and high current density (8.20 mA cm-2) in an alkaline solution. Moreover, Fe-incorporated NG showed almost four-electron transfer processes and superior stability in both alkaline (∼94%) and acidic (∼85%) solutions, which outperformed the platinum and NG-based catalysts.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9541-9550
Number of pages10
JournalACS nano
Volume6
Issue number11
Publication statusPublished - 27 Nov 2012
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 23050839

Keywords

Keywords

  • graphene oxide, iron coordination, nitrogen-doped graphene, oxygen reduction reaction, stability