Recent Advances in Structural Regulation on Non-Precious Metal Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Electrolytes

Authors

Xue Wang, 1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China;2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China;
Li Zhang, 1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China;
Chang-Peng Liu, 1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China;2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China;
Jun-Jie Ge, 1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China;2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China;
Jian-Bing Zhu, 1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China;2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China;Follow
Wei Xing, 1. State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China;2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China;Follow

Corresponding Author

Jian-Bing Zhu(zjb@ciac.ac.cn);
Wei Xing(xingwei@ciac.ac.cn)

Abstract

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolytes is an important electrochemical process for metal-air batteries and anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). However, the sluggish kinetics spurs intensive research on searching robust electrocatalysts. Non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) that can circumvent the cost and scarcity issues associated with platinum (Pt)-based materials have been pursued and the challenges lie in the performance improvement to rival Pt-based benchmarks. As the composition and structure of the NPMCs have a significant impact on the catalytic performance, precise regulation on the catalyst structure holds great promise to bridge the activity gap between NPMCs and Pt-based benchmarks. In this minireview, we aim to provide an overview of recent progress in the structural regulation on NPMCs towards improved performance. The four typical categories of NPMCs, i.e., metal-free carbon-based materials, metal compounds, metal encapsulated in graphitic layer and atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon materials, are firstly introduced, where catalytic active sites and catalytic mechanism are highlighted. Subsequently, we summarize the representative structural regulation from a nanoscale to an atomic scale including hierarchically porous structure regulation, interface engineering, defect engineering and atomic pair construction. Special emphasis is placed on the elucidation of the catalytic structure-performance relationship. The origins of activity improvements from these structural regulations are discussed in terms of accelerated mass transfer, increased accessible active sites, tailored electronic states, and synergetic effect between multi-components. Finally, the challenges and opportunities are discussed.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

oxygen reduction reaction, non-precious metal catalysts, structural regulation

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.13208/j.electrochem.210850

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Date

2022-02-28

Online Available Date

2022-01-02

Revised Date

2021-12-02

Received Date

2021-11-01

Recommended Citation

Xue Wang, Li Zhang, Chang-Peng Liu, Jun-Jie Ge, Jian-Bing Zhu, Wei Xing. Recent Advances in Structural Regulation on Non-Precious Metal Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Electrolytes[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, 2022 , 28(2): 2108501.
DOI: 10.13208/j.electrochem.210850
Available at: https://jelectrochem.xmu.edu.cn/journal/vol28/iss2/2