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