1
|
Longhi M, Cova C, Pargoletti E, Coduri M, Santangelo S, Patanè S, Ditaranto N, Cioffi N, Facibeni A, Scavini M. Synergistic Effects of Active Sites' Nature and Hydrophilicity on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity of Pt-Free Catalysts. NANOMATERIALS 2018; 8:nano8090643. [PMID: 30135359 PMCID: PMC6163935 DOI: 10.3390/nano8090643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This work highlights the importance of the hydrophilicity of a catalyst’s active sites on an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) through an electrochemical and physico-chemical study on catalysts based on nitrogen-modified carbon doped with different metals (Fe, Cu, and a mixture of them). BET, X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), micro-Raman, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM), and hydrophilicity measurements were performed. All synthesized catalysts are characterized not only by a porous structure, with the porosity distribution centered in the mesoporosity range, but also by the presence of carbon nanostructures. In iron-doped materials, these nanostructures are bamboo-like structures typical of nitrogen carbon nanotubes, which are better organized, in a larger amount, and longer than those in the copper-doped material. Electrochemical ORR results highlight that the presence of iron and nitrogen carbon nanotubes is beneficial to the electroactivity of these materials, but also that the hydrophilicity of the active site is an important parameter affecting electrocatalytic properties. The most active material contains a mixture of Fe and Cu.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Longhi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Camilla Cova
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Eleonora Pargoletti
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Mauro Coduri
- ESRF-The European Synchrotron, 71, Avenue des Martyrs, 38043 Grenoble, France.
| | - Saveria Santangelo
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, dell'Energia, dell'Ambiente e dei Materiali, Università "Mediterranea", Via Graziella, Loc. Feo di Vito, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy.
| | - Salvatore Patanè
- Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze della Terra, Università di Messina, Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.
| | - Nicoletta Ditaranto
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy.
| | - Nicola Cioffi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy.
| | - Anna Facibeni
- Dipartimento di Energia and NEMAS-Centre for NanoEngineered MAterials and Surfaces, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Marco Scavini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gewirth AA, Varnell JA, DiAscro AM. Nonprecious Metal Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Heterogeneous Aqueous Systems. Chem Rev 2018; 118:2313-2339. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 504] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A. Gewirth
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0385, Japan
| | - Jason A. Varnell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Angela M. DiAscro
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| |
Collapse
|