Graphitic Nitrogen Is Responsible for Oxygen Electroreduction on Nitrogen-Doped Carbons in Alkaline Electrolytes: Insights from Activity Attenuation Studies and Theoretical Calculations

Oxygen Reduction Kinetics of Fe-N-C Single Atom Catalysts Boosted by Pyridinic N Vacancy for Temperature-Adaptive Zn-Air Batteries

The design of temperature-adaptive Zn-air batteries (ZABs) with long life spans and high energy efficiencies is challenging owing to sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and an unstable Zn/electrolyte interface. Herein, a quasi-solid-state ZAB is designed by combining atomically dispersed Fe-N-C catalysts containing pyridinic N vacancies (FeNC-VN) with a polarized organo-hydrogel electrolyte. First-principles calculation predicts that adjacent VN sites effectively enhance the covalency of Fe-Nx moieties and moderately weaken *OH binding energies, significantly boosting the ORR kinetics and stability. In situ Raman spectra reveal the dynamic evolution of *O2- and *OOH on the FeNC-VN cathode in the aqueous ZAB, proving that the 4e- associative mechanism is dominant. Moreover, the ethylene glycol-modulated organo-hydrogel electrolyte forms a zincophilic protective layer on the Zn anode surface and tailors the [Zn(H2O)6]2+ solvation sheath, effectively guiding epitaxial deposition of Zn2+ on the Zn (002) plane and suppressing side reactions. The assembled quasi-solid-state ZAB demonstrates a long life span of over 1076 h at 2 mA cm-2 at -20 °C, outperforming most reported ZABs.

A lignin-derived N-doped carbon-supported iron-based nanocomposite as high-efficiency oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst

Fuel cells are a promising renewable energy technology that depend heavily on noble metal Pt-based catalysts, particularly for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The discovery of new, efficient non-precious metal ORR catalysts is critical for the continued development of cost-effective, high-performance fuel cells. The synthesized carbon material showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the ORR, with half-wave potential (E1/2) and limiting current density (JL) of 0.88 V and 5.10 mA·cm-2 in alkaline electrolyte, respectively. The material has a Tafel slope of (65 mV dec-1), which is close to commercial Pt/C catalysts (60 mV dec-1). Moreover, the prepared materials exhibited excellent performance when assembled as cathodes for zinc-air batteries. The power density reached 110.02 mW cm-2 and the theoretical specific capacity was 801.21 mAh g-1, which was higher than that of the Pt/C catalyst (751.19 mAh g-1). In this study, with the assistance of Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O, we introduce an innovative approach to synthesize advanced carbon materials, achieving precise control over the material's structure and properties. This research bridges a crucial gap in material science, with potential applications in renewable energy technologies, particularly in enhancing catalysts for fuel cells.

Engineering Electronic Structure of Nitrogen-Carbon Sites by sp3 -Hybridized Carbon and Incorporating Chlorine to Boost Oxygen Reduction Activity

Development of efficient and easy-to-prepare low-cost oxygen reaction electrocatalysts is essential for widespread application of rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, we mixed NaCl and ZIF-8 by simple physical milling and pyrolysis to obtain a metal-free porous electrocatalyst doped with Cl (mf-pClNC). The mf-pClNC electrocatalyst exhibits a good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity (E1/2 =0.91 V vs. RHE) and high stability in alkaline electrolyte, exceeding most of the reported transition metal carbon-based electrocatalysts and being comparable to commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts. Likewise, the mf-pClNC electrocatalyst also shows state-of-the-art ORR activity and stability in acidic electrolyte. From experimental and theoretical calculations, the better ORR activity is most likely originated from the fact that the introduced Cl promotes the increase of sp3 -hybridized carbon, while the sp3 -hybridized carbon and Cl together modify the electronic structure of the N-adjacent carbons, as the active sites, while NaCl molten-salt etching provides abundant paths for the transport of electrons/protons. Furthermore, the liquid rechargeable ZAB using the mf-pClNC electrocatalyst as the cathode shows a fulfilling performance with a peak power density of 276.88 mW cm-2 . Flexible quasi-solid-state rechargeable ZAB constructed with the mf-pClNC electrocatalyst as the cathode exhibits an exciting performance both at low, high and room temperatures.

Constructing Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Hierarchy Structure Derived from Metal-Organic Framework as High-Performance ORR Cathode Material for Zn-Air Battery

The development of efficient and low-cost catalysts for cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in Zn-air battery (ZAB) is a key factor in reducing costs and achieving industrialization. Here, a novel segregated CoNiPt alloy embedded in N-doped porous carbon with a nanoflowers (NFs)-like hierarchy structure is synthesized through pyrolyzing Hofmann-type metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The unique hierarchical NFs structure exposes more active sites and facilitates the transportation of reaction intermediates, thus accelerating the reaction kinetics. Impressively, the resulting 15% CoNiPt@C NFs catalyst exhibits outstanding alkaline ORR activity with a half-wave potential of 0.93 V, and its mass activity is 7.5 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst, surpassing state-of-the-art noble metal-based catalysts. Furthermore, the assembled CoNiPt@C+RuO2 ZAB demonstrates a maximum power density of 172 mW cm-2 , which is superior to that of commercial Pt/C+RuO2 ZAB. Experimental results reveal that the intrinsic ORR mass activity is attributed to the synergistic interaction between oxygen defects and pyrrolic/graphitic N species, which optimizes the adsorption energy of the intermediate species in the ORR process and greatly enhances catalytic activity. This work provides a practical and feasible strategy for synthesizing cost-effective alkaline ORR catalysts by optimizing the electronic structure of MOF-derived catalysts.

Revision of the oxygen reduction reaction on N-doped graphenes by grand-canonical DFT

Nitrogen-doped graphenes were among the first promising metal-free carbon-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, data on the most efficient catalytic centers and their catalytic mechanisms are still under debate. In this work, we study the associative mechanism of the ORR in an alkaline medium on graphene containing various types of nitrogen doping. The free energy profile of the reaction is constructed using grand-canonical DFT at a constant electrode potential in combination with an implicit electrolyte model. It is shown that the reaction mechanism differs from the generally accepted one and depends on the surface potential and doping type. In particular, as the potential decreases, coupled electron-proton transfer changes to sequential electron and proton transfer, and the potential at which this occurs depends on the doping type. It has been shown that oxygen chemisorption is the limiting step. The electrocatalytic mechanism of the nitrogen dopants involves reducing the oxygen chemisorption energy. Calculations predict that, at different potentials, different types of nitrogen impurities most effectively catalyze the ORR.

Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Were Prepared by Hydrothermal Carbonization

A metal-free carbon catalyst is a kind of oxygen reduction catalyst with great prospects. It is an important material with potential to replace the traditional Pt catalyst. In this paper, a kind of irregular and ultra-thin carbon nanosheet (K180M-300-900) with high catalytic activity was synthesized by hydrothermal calcination using okra as a biomass and NH4Cl as an N source. The prepared nitrogen-doped metal-free catalyst with high pyridine-N and graphitic-N provides an extremely large number of active sites and has certain lattice defects. Ultra-thin carbon nanosheets promote sufficient contact between the catalyst and electrolyte, promote the diffusion of oxygen, and result in a faster transfer rate of electrons. The initial potential and half-slope potential of K180M-300-900 are 0.99 V and 0.82 V, respectively, which are comparable to those of 20% Pt/C. In addition, the stability and methanol tolerance of this catalyst (K180M-300-900) are better than 20% Pt/C, so it has great development potential and application value. This result provides a new method to prepare metal-free carbon materials that will take the place of traditional Pt catalysts.

Biomass-Derived Carbonaceous Materials with Graphene/Graphene-Like Structures: Definition, Classification, and Environmental Applications

Biomass-derived carbonaceous materials with graphene/graphene-like structures (BGS) have attracted tremendous attention in the field of environmental remediation. The introduction of graphene/graphene-like structures into raw biochars can effectively improve their properties, such as electrical conductivity, surface functional groups, and catalytic activity. In 2021, the International Organization for Standardization defined graphene as a "single layer of carbon atoms with each atom bound to three neighbours in a honeycomb structure". Considering this definition, several studies have incorrectly referred to BGS (e.g., biomass-derived few-layer graphene or porous graphene-like nanosheets) as "graphene". The definitions and classifications of BGS and their applications in environmental remediation have not been assessed critically thus far. Comprehensive analysis and sufficient and robust evidence are highly desired to accurately determine the specific structures of BGS. In this perspective, we provide a systematic framework to define and classify the BGS. The state-of-the-art methods currently used to determine the structural properties of BGS are scrutinized. We then discuss the design and fabrication of BGS and how their distinctive features could improve the applicability of biomass-derived carbonaceous materials, particularly in environmental remediation. The environmental applications of these BGS are highlighted, and future research opportunities and needs are identified. The fundamental insights in this perspective provide critical guidance for the further development of BGS for a wide range of environmental applications.

Regulating N Species in N-Doped Carbon Electro-Catalysts for High-Efficiency Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide in Simulated Seawater

Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an attractive and alternative route for the on-site production of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ). The electrochemical synthesis of H2 O2 in neutral electrolyte is in early studying stage and promising in ocean-energy application. Herein, N-doped carbon materials (N-Cx ) with different N types are prepared through the pyrolysis of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. The N-Cx catalysts, especially N-C800 , exhibit an attracting 2e- ORR catalytic activity, corresponding to a high H2 O2 selectivity (≈95%) and preferable stability in 0.5 m NaCl solution. Additionally, the N-C800 possesses an attractive H2 O2 production amount up to 631.2 mmol g-1  h-1 and high Faraday efficiency (79.8%) in H-type cell. The remarkable 2e- ORR electrocatalytic performance of N-Cx catalysts is associated with the N species and N content in the materials. Density functional theory calculations suggest carbon atoms adjacent to graphitic N are the main catalytic sites and exhibit a smaller activation energy, which are more responsible than those in pyridinic N and pyrrolic N doped carbon materials. Furthermore, the N-C800 catalyst demonstrates an effective antibacterial performance for marine bacteria in simulated seawater. This work provides a new insight for electro-generation of H2 O2 in neutral electrolyte and triggers a great promise in ocean-energy application.

Synchronous coupling of defects and a heteroatom-doped carbon constraint layer on cobalt sulfides toward boosted oxide electrolysis activities for highly energy-efficient micro-zinc-air batteries

The sluggish kinetics of oxygen electrocatalysis reactions on cathodes significantly suppresses the energy efficiency of zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, by coupling in situ generated CoS nanoparticles rich in cobalt vacancies (V_Co) with a dual-heteroatom-doped layered carbon framework, a hybrid Co-based catalyst (Co_1-xS@N/S-C) is designed and synthesized from Co-MOF precursor. Experimental analyses, together with density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations, demonstrate that the facilitated ion diffusion enabled by the introduced V_Co, together with the enhanced electron transport benefiting from the well-designed dual-heteroatom-doped laminated carbon framework, synergistically boost the bifunctional electrocatalytic activity of Co_1-xS@N/S-C (ΔE = 0.76 V), which is much superior to that of CoS@N/S-C without V_Co (ΔE = 0.89 V), CoS without V_Co (ΔE = 1.23 V), and the dual-heteroatom-doped laminated carbon framework. As expected, the further assembled ZAB employing Co_1-xS@N/S-C as the cathode electrocatalyst exhibits enhanced energy efficiency in terms of better cycling stability (510 cycles/170 hours) and a higher specific capacity (807 mA h g^-1). Finally, a flexible/stretched solid state micro-ZAB (F/SmZAB) with Co_1-xS@N/S-C as the cathode electrocatalyst and a wave-shaped GaIn-Ni-based liquid metal as the electronic circuit is further designed, which can display excellent electrical properties and long elongation. This work provides a new defect and structure coupling strategy for boosting the oxide electrolysis activities of Co-based catalysts. Furthermore, F/SmZAB represents a promising solution for a compatible micropower source in wearable microelectronics.

Insights into Nitrogen-doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction: The Role of Graphitic and Pyridinic Nitrogen Species

Nitrogen-doped carbons (N/Cs) manifest good catalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell systems. However, to date, controversies remain on the role of active sites in N/Cs. In the present study, ORR test was conducted on three N/Cs in O₂ -saturated 0.1 M KOH aqueous solution, where apparent linear correlation between graphitic N contents and ORR activity was observed. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that graphitic N doping is energetically more favorable than that of pyridinic N doping for ORR and the pyridinic N leads to more preferential with 2 e^- ORR pathway. These results reveal that graphitic N plays a key role in N/Cs mediated ORR activity. This work lays a solid foundation on identifying the active sites in heteroatom-doped carbons and can be exploited for rational design and engineering of effective carbon-based ORR catalysts.

Curved Porous PdCu Metallene as a High-Efficiency Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Formic Acid Oxidation

Designing high-efficiency and newly developed Pd-based bifunctional catalytic materials still faces tremendous challenges for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and formic acid oxidation reaction (FAO). Metallene materials with unique structural features are considered strong candidates for enhancing the catalytic performance. In this work, we synthesized copper-doped two-dimensional curved porous Pd metallene nanomaterials via a simplistic one-pot solvothermal method. The updated catalysts served as sturdy bifunctional electrocatalysts for cathodal ORR and anodic FAO. In particular, the developed PdCu metallene exhibits excellent half-wave potential (0.943 V vs RHE) and mass activity (MA) (1.227 A mg_Pt^-1) in alkaline solutions, which are 1.09 and 6.26 times higher than those of commercial Pt/C, respectively, indicating that the nanomaterials have abundant active sites, displaying surpassing catalytic performance for oxygen reduction. Furthermore, in an acidic formic acid electrolyte, PdCu metallene exhibits prominent MA with a value of 0.905 A mg_Pd^-1, which is 2.76 times that of commercial Pd/C. The remarkable bifunctional catalytic performance of metallene materials can be attributed to the special structure and electronic effects. This work shows that metallene materials with curved and porous properties provide a scientific idea for the development and design of efficient and steady electrocatalysts.

Degradation of phenolic pollutants by persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes: metal and carbon-based catalysis

Wastewater recycling is a solution to address the global water shortage. Phenols are major pollutants in wastewater, and they are toxic even at very low concentrations. Advanced oxidation process (AOP) is an emerging technique for the effective degradation and mineralization of phenols into water. Herein, we aim at giving an insight into the current state of the art in persulfate-based AOP for the oxidation of phenols using metal/metal-oxide and carbon-based materials. Special attention has been paid to the design strategies of high-performance catalysts, and their advantages and drawbacks are discussed. Finally, the key challenges that govern the implementation of persulfate-based AOP catalysts in water purification, in terms of cost and environmental friendliness, are summarized and possible solutions are proposed. This work is expected to help the selection of the optimal strategy for treating phenol emissions in real scenarios.

Iminium-Bridged Resorcinol-Silane Networks and Their Pyrolyzed Derivatives as Electrode Materials for the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Supercapacitors

We report the synthesis of iminium-bridged resorcinol-silane (I-R-S) gel networks through the reaction of resorcinol with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) in the presence of acetone under ambient conditions. Ambient pressure drying leads to monolithic gels with minimal shrinkage and cracks, eliminating the use of conventional supercritical drying. The gels were found to have bulk and skeletal densities of 0.90 and 1.23 g/cm³, respectively. Interestingly, it was found that acetone plays the dual role of solvent (solubilizing the precursors, APTES, and resorcinol) and reactant by reacting with amine present in APTES to form imine functionalities. Furthermore, the imine was found to react with resorcinol to form I-R-S gel networks. The I-R-S gel was found to be hydrophobic with a contact angle of between 99 and 103°. Upon pyrolysis at higher temperatures (600, 800, and 1000 °C), the I-R-S gels transformed to silica containing N-doped carbon as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Further removal of silica by hydrofluoric acid (HF) treatment lead to porous N-doped carbon which was found to effectively electrocatalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by mixed 3e^- pathway. Note that the sample pyrolyzed at 600 °C followed by treatment with HF displayed an ∼2e^- pathway with a higher peroxide yield of 91%. Due to the high specific surface area and increased microporosity, the pyrolyzed samples treated with HF were found to exhibit a specific capacitance of 213 F/g with capacity retention of 90% for up to 2100 cycles.

3D porous carbon conductive network with highly dispersed Fe-Nxsites catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Intrinsic activity and reactive numbers are considered two important factors in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Herein, we report the rational design and synthesis of a strongly coupled hybrid material comprising of FeZn nanoparticles (FeZn NPs) supported by a three-dimensional carbon conductive network (FeZn NPs@3D-CN) for increased ORR performance. Fe-N-C sites can offer high intrinsic activity owing to the unique bonding and oxygen vacancies, and the carbon conductive network facilitating the exposure to active sites, and increasing electron transport. Because of the synergetic effect of the conductive networks containing Fe-N-C and polyaniline, the catalysts exhibited ORR activity in an alkaline medium via a four-electron transfer process. FeZn NPs@3D-CN exhibited outstanding performance with a limited current density (6.2 mA cm^-2), the Tafel slope (81.19 mV dec^-1), and stability (23 mV negative shift after 2000 cycles), which were superior to those of 20% Pt/C (5.7 mA cm^-2, 75.1 mV dec^-1, 36 mV negative shift after 2000 cycles). This research highlights the effect of conductive networks expanding pathways and reducing the resistance of mass transport, which is a facile method to generate superior ORR electrocatalysts.

Configuration Sensitivity of Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Nitrogen-Doped Graphene

As one of the most promising nonprecious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the structure of the active site on nitrogen-doped carbon materials is still under debate. Here, we report that the sensitivity of the ORR on the local configuration of multiple nitrogen dopants may be overlooked. Combining global structure searching with density functional theory calculations, we established the structure-activity relationship for 19 and 298 possible configurations of graphitic nitrogen-doped graphene with N content of 2 and 3%, respectively. It was revealed that the stability cannot be a screener to determine the major contributor to the activity. 77.5% of current density is contributed by the active configuration with 4.59% population on the graphene containing 3% nitrogen. It unambiguously demonstrates the configuration sensitivity of N-doped graphene for ORR and opens a new window to identifying the optimal structure of N-doped carbons for various applications.

Achieving a highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction via a molecular Fe single atom catalyst

Molecular Fe phthalocyanine (FePc) is successfully anchored on a defective mesoporous carbon framework for the highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a half-wave potential of 0.86 V (vs. RHE) and a limited current density of 5.40 mA cm^-2. DFT calculations further suggest that the non-planar structure incorporating FePc can promote charge polarization and decrease the energy barrier.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Flowers with Fe and Ni Dual Metal Centers for Effective Electroreduction of Oxygen

Carbon-based nanocomposites have been attracting extensive attention as high-performance catalysts in alkaline media towards the electrochemical reduction of oxygen. Herein, polyacrylonitrile nanoflowers are synthesized via a free-radical polymerization route and used as a structural scaffold and precursor, whereby controlled pyrolysis leads to the ready preparation of carbon nanocomposites (FeNi-NCF) doped with both metal (Fe and Ni) and nonmetal (N) elements. Transmission electron microscopy studies show that the FeNi-NCF composites retain the flower-like morphology, with the metal species atomically dispersed into the flaky carbon petals. Remarkably, despite a similar structure, elemental composition, and total metal content, the FeNi-NCF sample with a high Fe:Ni ratio exhibits an electrocatalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media that is similar to that by commercial Pt/C, likely due to the Ni to Fe electron transfer that promotes the adsorption and eventual reduction of oxygen, as evidenced in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements. Results from this study underline the importance of the electronic properties of metal dopants in the manipulation of the ORR activity of carbon nanocomposites.

Enhanced Li-Ion Rate Capability and Stable Efficiency Enabled by MoSe2 Nanosheets in Polymer-Derived Silicon Oxycarbide Fiber Electrodes

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as MoSe₂ have continued to generate interest in the engineering community because of their unique layered morphology—the strong in-plane chemical bonding between transition metal atoms sandwiched between two chalcogen atoms and the weak physical attraction between adjacent TMD layers provides them with not only chemical versatility but also a range of electronic, optical, and chemical properties that can be unlocked upon exfoliation into individual TMD layers. Such a layered morphology is particularly suitable for ion intercalation as well as for conversion chemistry with alkali metal ions for electrochemical energy storage applications. Nonetheless, host of issues including fast capacity decay arising due to volume changes and from TMD’s degradation reaction with electrolyte at low discharge potentials have restricted use in commercial batteries. One approach to overcome barriers associated with TMDs’ chemical stability functionalization of TMD surfaces by chemically robust precursor-derived ceramics or PDC materials, such as silicon oxycarbide (SiOC). SiOC-functionalized TMDs have shown to curb capacity degradation in TMD and improve long term cycling as Li-ion battery (LIBs) electrodes. Herein, we report synthesis of such a composite in which MoSe₂ nanosheets are in SiOC matrix in a self-standing fiber mat configuration. This was achieved via electrospinning of TMD nanosheets suspended in pre-ceramic polymer followed by high temperature pyrolysis. Morphology and chemical composition of synthesized material was established by use of electron microscopy and spectroscopic technique. When tested as LIB electrode, the SiOC/MoSe₂ fiber mats showed improved cycling stability over neat MoSe₂ and neat SiOC electrodes. The freestanding composite electrode delivered a high charge capacity of 586 mAh g⁻¹_electrode with an initial coulombic efficiency of 58%. The composite electrode also showed good cycling stability over SiOC fiber mat electrode for over 100 cycles.

Predoped Oxygenated Defects Activate Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The presence of defects and chemical dopants in metal-free carbon materials plays an important role in the electrocatalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The precise control and design of defects and dopants in carbon electrodes will allow the fundamental understanding of activity-structure correlations for tailoring catalytic performance of carbon-based, most particularly graphene-based, electrode materials. Herein, we adopted monolayer graphene – a model carbon-based electrode – for systematical introduction of nitrogen and oxygen dopants, together with vacancy defects, and studied their roles in catalyzing ORR. Compared to pristine graphene, nitrogen doping exhibited a limited effect on ORR activity. In contrast, nitrogen doping in graphene predoped with vacancy defects or oxygen enhanced the activities at 0.4 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) by 1.2 and 2.0 times, respectively. The optimal activity was achieved for nitrogen doping in graphene functionalized with oxygenated defects, 12.8 times more than nitrogen-doped and 7.7 times more than pristine graphene. More importantly, oxygenated defects are highly related to the 4e^– pathway instead of nitrogen dopants. This work indicates a non-negligible contribution of oxygen and especially oxygenated vacancy defects for the catalytic activity of nitrogen-doped graphene.

Controlled synthesis of a porous single-atomic Fe–N–C catalyst with Fe nanoclusters as synergistic catalytic sites for efficient oxygen reduction

A porous single-atomic Fe–N–C catalyst is prepared with the presence of Fe nanoclusters to increase the adsorption energy of OOH* on the single Fe atom and lower the energy barrier for OOH formation, thus improving the ORR activity.

The effect of cobalt on morphology, structure, and ORR activity of electrospun carbon fibre mats in aqueous alkaline environments

An innovative approach for the design of air electrodes for metal-air batteries are free-standing scaffolds made of electrospun polyacrylonitrile fibres. In this study, cobalt-decorated fibres are prepared, and the influence of carbonisation temperature on the resulting particle decoration, as well as on fibre structure and morphology is discussed. Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry are used for characterisation. The modified fibre system is compared to a benchmark system without cobalt additives. Cobalt is known to catalyse the formation of graphite in carbonaceous materials at elevated temperatures. As a result of cobalt migration in the material the resulting overall morphology is that of turbostratic carbon. Nitrogen removal and nitrogen-type distribution are enhanced by the cobalt additives. At lower carbonisation temperatures cobalt is distributed over the surface of the fibres, whereas at high carbonisation temperatures it forms particles with diameters up to 300 nm. Free-standing, current-collector-free electrodes assembled from carbonised cobalt-decorated fibre mats display promising performance for the oxygen reduction reaction in aqueous alkaline media. High current densities at an overpotential of 100 mV and low overpotentials at current densities of 333 μA·cm-2 were found for all electrodes made from cobalt-decorated fibre mats carbonised at temperatures between 800 and 1000 °C.

Highly Efficient Oxidative Cyanation of Aldehydes to Nitriles over Se,S,N-tri-Doped Hierarchically Porous Carbon Nanosheets

Oxidative cyanation of aldehydes provides a promising strategy for the cyanide-free synthesis of organic nitriles. Design of robust and cost-effective catalysts is the key for this route. Herein, we designed a series of Se,S,N-tri-doped carbon nanosheets with a hierarchical porous structure (denoted as Se,S,N-CNs-x, x represents the pyrolysis temperature). It was found that the obtained Se,S,N-CNs-1000 was very selective and efficient for oxidative cyanation of various aldehydes including those containing other oxidizable groups into the corresponding nitriles using ammonia as the nitrogen resource below 100 °C. Detailed investigations revealed that the excellent performance of Se,S,N-CNs-1000 originated mainly from the graphitic-N species with lower electron density and synergistic effect between the Se, S, N, and C in the catalyst. Besides, the hierarchically porous structure could also promote the reaction. Notably, the unique feature of this metal-free catalyst is that it tolerated other oxidizable groups, and showed no activity on further reaction of the products, thereby resulting in high selectivity. As far as we know, this is the first work for the synthesis of nitriles via oxidative cyanation of aldehydes over heterogeneous metal-free catalysts.

Nitrogen-carbon materials base on pyrolytic graphene hydrogel for oxygen reduction

HYPOTHESIS

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has played a significant role in the utilization of energy nowadays. Nitrogen-doped carbon materials are seen as promising catalysts for ORR, so it is of great significance in studying the functions of different nitrogen moieties.

EXPERIMENTS

The graphene hydrogel-based nitrogen-arbon materials (GH N-C) were fabricated by first obtaining a gel through hydrothermal treatment using graphene oxide (GO) as precursor, and then calcined in an ammonia atmosphere at different temperatures to form N-doped graphitized materials with divers nitrogen configuration.

FINDINGS

GH N-C materials with tunable nitrogen configuration were synthesized by a two-step method base on graphene hydrogel. Benefiting from the 3D hydrogel structure, rich defects and optimized chemical properties, GH N-C-900 prepared by NH₃ pyrolysis at 900 °C exhibits an excellent electrocatalytic performance toward ORR, with the onset potential of 0.947 ± 0.013 V versus RHE, half-wave potential of 0.830 ± 0.010 V versus RHE, electron transfer number of 3.61-3.99, along as methanol tolerance and superior long-term stability. Comprehensive studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between the total amount of pyrrolic-N and quaternary-N and the catalytic performance of ORR.

High-Quality CoFeP Nanocrystal/N, P Dual-Doped Carbon Composite as a Novel Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Rechargeable Zn-Air Battery

A novel composite catalyst (CoFeP@C) was constructed by high-quality CoFeP nanoparticles embedded in a N, P dual-doped carbon matrix. These CoFeP nanoparticles are rich in active sites of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at surfaces and provide metallic conductivity in their bulk phases. The N, P dual-doped carbon matrix provided abundant active sites of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and formed a conductive network substrate. The ideal composite structure endowed CoFeP@C with highly efficient bifunctional performance for catalyzing both OER and ORR, accordingly making CoFeP@C an ideal catalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries. The liquid Zn-air battery of CoFeP@C has achieved a large power density of 143.5 mW/cm² and can be charged and discharged stably for 200 h (1200 cycles). The solid-state Zn-air battery of CoFeP@C has achieved a power density of 72.6 mW/cm² and can stably run for 20 h. This work has deepened the understanding of synergistic catalysis and paved one way for the development of high-performance bifunctional catalysts.

Carbon-based 0D/1D/2D assembly with desired structures and defect states as non-metal bifunctional electrocatalyst for zinc-air battery

For the design of electrocatalysts, the combination between components and the regulation of material structures tend to be neglected, giving rise to the constraint of catalytic performance and durability. Herein, we developed a graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) with enhanced oxygen content by a one-step cutting method. Then, one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes and two-dimensional (2D) reduced graphene oxide are crosslinked and self-assembled, thus attracting unsaturated-bond-riches GOODs (0D) to uniformly attach to the skeleton, simultaneously achieving nitrogen and sulfur co-doping. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report to prepare bifunctional electrocatalyst with GOQDs. Electrochemical tests show that even without metal-doping, the novel non-metal bifunctional electrocatalyst (N,S-GOQD-RGO/CNT) exhibits a higher half-wave potential (0.84 V) and enhanced limiting current density (5.88 mA cm^-2) than commercial Pt/C catalyst. The density functional theory is implemented to reveal the coordination of nitrogen and sulfur co-doping on GOQDs, which results in the improvement of overall catalytic active sites. Furthermore, the rechargeable zinc-air battery based on N,S-GOQD-RGO/CNT exhibits a maximum power density of 134.3 mW cm^-2, open circuit potential of 1.414 V, which is better than Pt/C+Ru/C mixed material. The obtained N,S-GOQD-RGO/CNT will provide a perspective application in fuel cells.

Hollow and mesoporous lipstick-like nitrogen-doped carbon with incremented catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction

Hollow structure and pore size are considered to be crucial to the performance of nitrogen-doped carbon materials. In this paper, a lipstick-like hollow and mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon (HNC-1000) material is prepared using a bottom-up template participation strategy. The images by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy show that the precursor ZnO particles, the intermediate ZnO@ZIF-8 core-shell particles, and the target HNC-1000 particles all maintain a lipstick-like morphology, and HNC-1000 is a hollow nitrogen-doped carbon material. The specific surface area and pore size analyses show that the synthesized HNC-1000 has a very rich mesoporous structure with Vmeso+macro/Vtotal of 94.8% and mean mesopore size at 13.67 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show that the nitrogen in the catalyst HNC-1000 is mainly pyridine nitrogen and graphite nitrogen. The prepared HNC-1000 has excellent ORR catalytic activity with onset potential (0.98 V versus RHE), half-wave potential (0.85 V versus RHE), and limiting current density (5.51 mA cm^-2), which is comparable to that of commercial Pt/C (20 wt%) and superior to NC-1000 derived from pristine ZIF-8. HNC-1000 also has good stability and strong methanol tolerance, which is superior to commercial Pt/C catalyst. The improved performance of HNC-1000 is attributed to its hollow and mesoporous morphology. These findings demonstrate a stratage for the rational design and synthesis of practical electrocatalysts.

Folic Acid Coordinated Cu-Co Site N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The design and development of carbon materials with high-efficiency oxygen reduction activity is still a problem. Folic acid (FA) has unique structural characteristics, and it can provide multiple coordination sites for metal ions. Here, folic acid (FA) was used as a metal complex ligand, and Cu-Co-based N-doped porous carbon nanosheets (Cu-CoNCNs) were synthesized by the solvothermal method, the molten salt template-assisted calcination method, and the chemical etching method. The Cu-CoNCNs synthesized by this method have highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. In 0.1 mol/L KOH electrolytes, the catalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity and has a fairly high half-wave potential (0.905 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to investigate the reasons why the catalyst has excellent catalytic activity and long-life stability. It was proved that the impressive ORR activity of Cu-CoNCNs comes from Cu doping, which can regulate the surface electronic structure of the catalyst, thereby optimizing the binding ability between the intermediate and adsorbed species and improving the catalytic activity.

Transition Metal and Nitrogen Co-Doped Carbon-based Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction: From Active Site Insights to the Rational Design of Precursors and Structures

Considering the urgent requirement for clean and sustainable energy, fuel cells and metal-air batteries have emerged as promising energy storage and conversion devices to alleviate the worldwide energy challenges. The key step in accelerating the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode is to develop cost-effective and high-efficiency non-precious metal catalysts, which can be used to replace expensive Pt-based catalysts. Recently, the transition metal and nitrogen co-doped carbon (M-N_x /C) materials with tailored morphology, tunable composition, and confined structure show great potential in both acidic and alkaline media. Herein, the mechanism of ORR is provided, followed by recent efforts to clarify the actual structures of active sites. Furthermore, the progress of optimizing the catalytic performance of M-N_x /C catalysts by modulating nitrogen-rich precursors and porous structure engineering is highlighted. The remaining challenges and development prospects of M-N_x /C catalysts are also outlined and evaluated.

Sulfur doped-graphene for enhanced acetaminophen degradation via electro-catalytic activation: Efficiency and mechanism

Although graphene exhibited excellent performance, its capability of electrochemical catalytic oxidation would significantly improve by modification via sulfur (S)-doping. However, due to the complicated doping species of heteroatoms, the detailed mechanism was still remained open for discussion. Thus, this first-attempt study tended to decipher such mechanism behind the direct and indirect oxidation by analyzing S species in S-graphene. The density functional theory (DFT) was adopted for reactive center calculation and confirmation of secondary active species, to discuss the degradation pathway. As the experimental and calculation results, the thiophene structure S was more favorable for electron acceptation in direct oxidation. Chloride reactive species, as the most effective secondary functionalities (rather than •OH), were favorably generated on the edge doped S position than thiophene structured S in defects, to further trigger the indirect oxidation. However, the extensive contents of reactive functionalities could act as trap for self-annihilation of chloride reactive species, resulting in poor electrocatalytic degradation of the pollutants. This study deepened the understanding of heteroatoms doping for electrochemical catalytic oxidation.