Nanostructured Iron Sulfide/N, S Dual-Doped Carbon Nanotube-Graphene Composites as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Materials (Basel). 2021 Apr 23;14(9):2146. doi: 10.3390/ma14092146.

Abstract

Nanostructured FeS dispersed onto N, S dual-doped carbon nanotube-graphene composite support (FeS/N,S:CNT-GR) was prepared by a simple synthetic method. Annealing an ethanol slurry of Fe precursor, thiourea, carbon nanotube, and graphene oxide at 973 K under N2 atmosphere and subsequent acid treatment produced FeS nanoparticles distributed onto the N, S-doped carbon nanotube-graphene support. The synthesized FeS/N,S:CNT-GR catalyst exhibited significantly enhanced electrochemical performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) compared with bare FeS, FeS/N,S:GR, and FeS/N,S:CNT with a small half-wave potential (0.827 V) in an alkaline electrolyte. The improved ORR performance, comparable to that of commercial Pt/C, could be attributed to synergy between the small FeS nanoparticles with a high activity and the N, S-doped carbon nanotube-graphene composite support providing high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and additional active sites.

Keywords: N, S dual doping; carbon nanotube–graphene composites; fuel cells; iron sulfide; oxygen reduction reaction.