Morphological Ensembles of N‐Doped Porous Carbon Derived from ZIF‐8/Fe‐Graphene Nanocomposites: Processing and Electrocatalytic Studies

Review on the Degradation Mechanisms of Metal-N-C Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid Electrolyte: Current Understanding and Mitigation Approaches

One bottleneck hampering the widespread use of fuel cell vehicles, in particular of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), is the high cost of the cathode where the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurs, due to the current need of precious metals to catalyze this reaction. Electrochemists tackle this issue in the short/medium term by developing catalysts with improved utilization or efficiency of platinum, and in the longer term, by developing catalysts based on Earth-abundant elements. Considerable progress has been achieved in the initial performance of Metal-nitrogen-carbon (Metal-N-C) catalysts for the ORR, especially with Fe-N-C materials. However, until now, this high performance cannot be maintained for a sufficiently long time in an operating PEMFC. The identification and mitigation of the degradation mechanisms of Metal-N-C electrocatalysts in the acidic environment of PEMFCs has therefore become an important research topic. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of the degradation mechanisms of Metal-N-C electrocatalysts, including the recently identified importance of combined oxygen and electrochemical potential. Results obtained in a liquid electrolyte and a PEMFC device are discussed, as well as insights gained from in situ and operando techniques. We also review the mitigation approaches that the scientific community has hitherto investigated to overcome the durability issues of Metal-N-C electrocatalysts.

S, Kurungot S, Nair BN, Mohamed AP, Anilkumar GM, Yamaguchi T, Hareesh US. Template assisted synthesis of Ni,N co-doped porous carbon from Ni incorporated ZIF-8 frameworks for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction

Ni,N co-doped porous carbon derived from nickel containing ZIF-8 frameworks for enhanced ORR performance in alkaline medium.

Melamine formaldehyde–metal organic gel interpenetrating polymer network derived intrinsic Fe–N-doped porous graphitic carbon electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Melamine formaldehyde metal organic gel interpenetrating networks for heteroporous Fe–N-doped carbon.