Synthesis of Fe, N-doped Graphene/Carbon Black Composite with High Catalytic Activity for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Authors

Chi CHEN, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China;State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China;
Zhi-you ZHOU, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China;Follow
Xin-sheng ZHANG, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China;
Shi-gang SUN, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China;

Corresponding Author

Zhi-you ZHOU(zhouzy@xmu.edu.cn)

Abstract

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a bottleneck for improving the efficiency of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells as a cathode reaction due to its sluggish kinetics. The exploitation of low cost and high performance non-precious metal catalysts such as Fe/N/C based materials toward ORR has attracted extensive attentions. In this work, the Fe, N-doped graphene nanosheets/carbon black composite was prepared by hydrothermal polymerization and followed by a twice-heat-treatment procedure using 2-aminoimidazole as an N precursor, FeCl₃ as an Fe precursor and KJ600 carbon black as a support. The TEM images revealed that the graphene nanosheets were separated by carbon black nanoparticles to form a robust composite architecture. This composite structure can provide high surface area and porous structure, facilitating the exposure of active sites and the mass transfer of O₂. The XRD patterns proved the existence of graphene nanosheets formed during the first heat treatment. The obtained AIZ-Fe/N/C catalyst exhibited high ORR activity and low H₂O₂ yield in an alkaline medium. Its methanol resistance was much better than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Furthermore, the ORR activity in an acid medium was also impressive. These results demonstrated that the AIZ-Fe/N/C catalyst is a promising candidate to replace Pt-based catalysts as a cathode catalyst in fuel cells.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

2-aminoimidazole, N-doped graphene, oxygen reduction reaction, graphene nanosheets/carbon black composite

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.13208/j.electrochem.150849

Publication Date

2016-02-29

Online Available Date

2016-01-06

Revised Date

2016-01-04

Received Date

2015-12-08

Recommended Citation

Chi CHEN, Zhi-you ZHOU, Xin-sheng ZHANG, Shi-gang SUN. Synthesis of Fe, N-doped Graphene/Carbon Black Composite with High Catalytic Activity for Oxygen Reduction Reaction[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, 2016 , 22(1): 25-31.
DOI: 10.13208/j.electrochem.150849
Available at: https://jelectrochem.xmu.edu.cn/journal/vol22/iss1/2