Significantly Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity in Co-N-C Catalysts through Synergistic Boron Doping

Authors

Chang Lan, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Jing-Sen Bai, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Xin Guan, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Shuo Wang, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Nan-Shu Zhang, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Yu-Qing Cheng, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Jin-Jing Tao, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Yu-Yi Chu, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Mei-Ling Xiao, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China; CIAC-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy, Changchun 130022, ChinaFollow
Chang-Peng Liu, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China; CIAC-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy, Changchun 130022, ChinaFollow
Wei Xing, Laboratory of Advanced Power Source, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China; School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China; Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Changchun 130022, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese, Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China; CIAC-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy, Changchun 130022, ChinaFollow

Corresponding Author

Mei-Ling Xiao (mlxiao@ciac.ac.cn);
Chang-Peng Liu (liuchp@ciac.ac.cn);
Wei Xing (xingwei@ciac.ac.cn)

Abstract

The weak adsorption energy of oxygen-containing intermediates on Co center leads to a considerable performance disparity between Co-N-C and costly Pt benchmark in catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this work, we strategically engineer the active site structure of Co-N-C via B substitution, which is accomplished by the pyrolysis of ammonium borate. During this process, the in-situ generated NH₃ gas plays a critical role in creating surface defects and boron atoms substituting nitrogen atoms in the carbon structure. The well-designed CoB₁N₃ active site endows Co with higher charge density and stronger adsorption energy toward oxygen species, potentially accelerating ORR kinetics. As expected, the resulting Co-B/N-C catalyst exhibited superior ORR performance over Co-N-C counterpart, with 40 mV, and fivefold enhancement in half-wave potential and turnover frequency (TOF). More importantly, the excellent ORR performance could be translated into membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in a fuel cell test, delivering an impressive peak power density of 824 mW·cm^–2, which is currently the best among Co-based catalysts under the same conditions. This work not only demonstrates an effective method for designing advanced catalysts, but also affords a highly promising non-precious metal ORR electrocatalyst for fuel cell applications.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

Oxygen reduction reaction, Proton exchange membrane fuel cell, Single-atom catalyst, Co-N-C, Boron doping

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.61558/2993-074X.3577

Creative Commons License

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

Publication Date

2025-09-28

Online Available Date

2025-07-31

Revised Date

2025-07-09

Received Date

2025-06-18

Recommended Citation

Chang Lan, Jing-Sen Bai, Xin Guan, Shuo Wang, Nan-Shu Zhang, Yu-Qing Cheng, Jin-Jing Tao, Yu-Yi Chu, Mei-Ling Xiao, Chang-Peng Liu, Wei Xing. Significantly Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity in Co-N-C Catalysts through Synergistic Boron Doping[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, 2025 , 31(9): 2506181.
DOI: 10.61558/2993-074X.3577
Available at: https://jelectrochem.xmu.edu.cn/journal/vol31/iss9/4