Mesoporous waffle-like N-doped carbon with embedded Co nanoparticles for efficiently electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and evolution

Manrong Shen; Xiufang Lin; Wenhao Xi; Xiaojin Yin; Bifen Gao; Liwen He; Yun Zheng; Bizhou Lin

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2022.11.119

Mesoporous waffle-like N-doped carbon with embedded Co nanoparticles for efficiently electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and evolution

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Mar:633:374-382. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.11.119. Epub 2022 Nov 28.

Authors

Manrong Shen¹, Xiufang Lin¹, Wenhao Xi¹, Xiaojin Yin¹, Bifen Gao¹, Liwen He¹, Yun Zheng¹, Bizhou Lin²

Affiliations

¹ Fujian Key Laboratory for Photoelectric Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China.
² Fujian Key Laboratory for Photoelectric Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China. Electronic address: bzlinhqu@126.com.

PMID: 36459942
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.11.119

Abstract

Rational design and facile preparation of high-performance carbon-based eletrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) is crucial for practical applications of rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Inspired by the fact that the metallic Co catalysis on the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), this work develops a facial compression-pyrolysis route to synthesize a mesoporous waffle-like N-doped carbon framework with embedded Co nanoparticles (Co@pNC) using a Co metal-organic framework and melamine as precursors. The unique porous waffle-like carbon framework is built up of interwoven N-doped CNTs and graphene nanosheets, which offers abundant catalytic-active sites and rapid diffusion channels for intermediates and electrolyte. The optimized Co@pNC shows excellent bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalytic activity in alkaline media with a half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.85 V for ORR and a small potential gap of 0.70 V between ORR E_1/2 and OER potential at 10 mA cm^-2. Its assembled battery exhibits a peak power density up to 150.3 mW cm^-2, an energy density of 928 Wh kg_Zn^-1 and superb rate capability. It highlights a facile component and architecture strategy to design high-performance carbon-based eletrocatalysts.

Keywords: Bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst; Carbon nanotubes; Cobalt; Mesoporous carbon; Rechargeable Zn-air battery.