Authors
Jingsen 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.
Nanshu 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.
Yuqing 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.
Jinjing 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.
Yuyi 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.
Meiling 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, China.Follow
Changpeng 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, China.Follow
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, China.Follow
Corresponding Author(s)
Meiling Xiao(mlxiao@ciac.ac.cn);
Changpeng 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 defect and boron atoms substitute 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, which potentially accelerating ORR kinetics. As expected, the resulting Co-B/N-C catalyst exhibits superior ORR performance to Co-N-C counterpart, with 40 mV and fivefold enhancement in half-wave potential and turnover frequency (TOF), respectively. More importantly, the excellent ORR performance can be translated into membrane electrode assembly (MEA) 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, PEMFC, Single-atom catalyst, Co-N-C, Boron doped
DOI
10.61558/2993-074X.3577
Recommended Citation
Chang Lan, Jingsen Bai, Xin Guan, Shuo Wang, Nanshu Zhang, Yuqing Cheng, Jinjing Tao, Yuyi Chu, Meiling Xiao, Changpeng Liu, Wei Xing. Significantly Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity in Co-N-C Catalysts through Synergistic Boron Doping[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, doi: 10.61558/2993-074X.3577.
