Bionic Fe-N-C catalyst with abundant exposed Fe-Nx sites and enhanced mass transfer properties for efficient oxygen reduction

Guolong Lu; Xin Men; Ruoqi Tang; Zhida Wang; Hao Cui; Tongxi Zheng; Mi Wang; Haoqi Yang; Zhenning Liu

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.098

Bionic Fe-N-C catalyst with abundant exposed Fe-N_x sites and enhanced mass transfer properties for efficient oxygen reduction

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Feb:655:90-99. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.098. Epub 2023 Oct 20.

Authors

Guolong Lu¹, Xin Men¹, Ruoqi Tang¹, Zhida Wang¹, Hao Cui¹, Tongxi Zheng¹, Mi Wang², Haoqi Yang³, Zhenning Liu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
² Engineering College, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China. Electronic address: yhq1214@126.com.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China. Electronic address: liu_zhenning@jlu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37925972
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.098

Abstract

Transition metal and nitrogen co-doped carbon electrocatalysts are promising candidates to replace the precious metal platinum (Pt) in oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). Unfortunately, the electrochemical performance of existing electrocatalysts is restricted due to limited accessibility of active sites. Inspired by jellyfish tentacles, we design an efficient ORR micro-reactor called Fe-N_x/HC@NWs. It features abundant exposed Fe-N_x active sites dispersed on nitrogen-doped cubic carbon cages, which have a hierarchically porous and hairy structure. The accessible, atomically dispersed Fe-N_x sites and the elaborate substrate architecture synergize to provide the catalyst withremarkable ORR catalytic activity, extraordinary long-term stability, and favorable methanol tolerance in an alkaline electrolyte; overall, its performance is comparable to that of commercial carbon-supported Pt. Our synthesis is facile and controllable, paving a new avenue toward advanced non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts for energy storage and conversion.

Keywords: Bionic design; Electrocatalyst; Micro-reactor; Oxygen reduction reaction; Synergy.