Issue

Vol. 11 (2019)

N, F-Codoped Microporous Carbon Nanofibers as Efficient Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for ORR

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-019-0240-x
Tianle Gong
Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Devices Research Center, Shanghai Key Lab of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China
Ruoyu Qi
Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Devices Research Center, Shanghai Key Lab of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China
Xundao Liu
School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, People’s Republic of China
Hong Li
Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Devices Research Center, Shanghai Key Lab of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China
Yongming Zhang
Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Devices Research Center, Shanghai Key Lab of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Hong Li

lh102@sjtu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 11 (2019), Article Number: 9

Abstract

Currently, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mainly depends on precious metal platinum (Pt) catalysts. However, Pt-based catalysts have several shortcomings, such as high cost, scarcity, and poor long-term stability. Therefore, development of efficient metal-free electrocatalysts to replace Pt-based electrocatalysts is important. In this study, we successfully prepared nitrogen- and fluorine-codoped microporous carbon nanofibers (N, F-MCFs) via electrospinning polyacrylonitrile/polyvinylidene fluoride/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PAN/PVDF/PVP) tricomponent polymers followed by a hydrothermal process and thermal treatment, which was achieved for the first time in the literature. The results indicated that N, F-MCFs exhibit a high catalytic activity (Eonset: 0.94 V vs. RHE, E1/2: 0.81 V vs. RHE, and electron transfer number: 4.0) and considerably better stability and methanol tolerance for ORR in alkaline solutions as compared to commercial Pt/carbon (Pt/C, 20 wt%) catalysts. Furthermore, in acidic media, N, F-MCFs showed a four-electron transfer pathway for ORR. This study provides a new strategy for in situ synthesis of N, F-MCFs as highly efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for ORR in fuel cells.


Highlights:


1 A new and facile method to synthesize N, F-codoped microporous carbon nanofiber (N, F-MCF) electrocatalysts via electrospinning, hydrothermal process, and thermal treatment.
2 Polyvinylidene fluoride is applied as a fluorine source in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis for the first time in literature.
3 N, F-MCFs exhibit distinguished electrocatalytic activity, stability, and methanol tolerance for ORR in alkaline media.

Keywords

Metal-free catalyst Oxygen reduction reaction N, F-codoped Carbon nanofiber Polyvinylidene fluoride
Gong, Tianle, Ruoyu Qi, Xundao Liu, Hong Li, and Yongming Zhang. 2019. “N, F-Codoped Microporous Carbon Nanofibers As Efficient Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for ORR”. Nano-Micro Letters 11 (January):9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-019-0240-x.
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