Cobalt-zinc nitride on nitrogen doped carbon black nanohybrids as a non-noble metal electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Suppressing Redox Reactions at the Perovskite-Nickel Oxide Interface with Zinc Nitride to Improve the Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells

For p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PSCs), nickel oxide (NiOx) hole transport layers (HTLs) are the preferred interfacial layer due to their low cost, high mobility, high transmittance, and stability. However, the redox reaction between the Ni≥3+ and hydroxyl groups in the NiOx and perovskite layer leads to oxidized CH3NH3 + and reacts with PbI in the perovskite, resulting in a large number of non-radiative recombination sites. Among various transition metals, an ultra-thin zinc nitride (Zn3N2) layer on the NiOx surface is chosen to prevent these redox reactions and interfacial issues using a simple solution process at low temperatures. The redox reaction and non-radiative recombination at the interface of the perovskite and NiOx reduce chemically by using interface modifier Zn3N2 to reduce hydroxyl group and defects on the surface of NiOx. A thin layer of Zn3N2 at the NiOx/perovskite interface results in a high Ni3+/Ni2+ ratio and a significant work function (WF), which inhibits the redox reaction and provides a highly aligned energy level with perovskite crystal and rigorous trap-passivation ability. Consequently, Zn3N2-modified NiOx-based PSCs achieve a champion PCE of 21.61%, over the NiOx-based PSCs. After Zn3N2 modification, the PSC can improve stability under several conditions.

Noble metal-free ternary cobalt-nickel phosphides for enhanced photocatalytic dye-sensitized hydrogen evolution and catalytic mechanism investigation

Transition metal phosphides have emerged as compelling alternatives to noble metal catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, owing to their high efficiency, stability, ease of preparation, and low-cost-effectiveness. This study investigates a series of binary and ternary phosphides predominantly composed of cobalt and nickel employed for photocatalytic dye-sensitized hydrogen evolution. Under the optimal dye-to-catalyst mass ratio, CoNiP exhibited the highest hydrogen evolution activity (12.96 mmol g-1 h-1), demonstrating more significant and satisfactory performance than a variety of other reported materials. This can be attributed to the high conductivity and low hydrogen evolution overpotential of phosphides, which result from their metallic characteristics and the presence of free electrons, which promote efficient electron transfer between the catalyst and sensitizer. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the cobalt incorporation into the binary phosphides causes a negative shift in the average d-band center for CoNiP, weakening the adsorption affinity of the catalyst towards H2 molecules, thus effectively improving the hydrogen evolution rate compared to the pure binary phosphides. This work provides valuable insights for the development of low-cost and high-performance ternary phosphide photocatalysts.

Carbon-nanotube-entangled Co,N-codoped carbon nanocomposite for oxygen reduction reaction

The design of highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is still a great challenge. Herein, we prepared Co,N-codoped carbon nanocomposites (Co@NC-ZM) with entangled carbon nanotubes. The large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area (604.7 m² g^-1), rich mesoporous feature, Co,N doping and synergetic effect between various species of Co@NC-ZM can expose more active sites and facilitate conductivity and mass transport. Benefiting from the above unique advantages, Co@NC-ZM exhibits excellent ORR performance with more positive onset potential (0.96 V) and half-wave potential (0.83 V) than those of commercial Pt/C (0.96 and 0.81 V, correspondingly). This work provides a new strategy for further exploring efficient non-precious-metal-based catalysts for ORR.

Transition metal nitrides for electrochemical energy applications

This review comprehensively summarizes the progress on the structural and electronic modulation of transition metal nitrides for electrochemical energy applications.

Tubular assemblies of N-doped carbon nanotubes loaded with NiFe alloy nanoparticles as efficient bifunctional catalysts for rechargeable zinc-air batteries

Enormous research effort is presently being directed towards the discovery of low cost bifunctional electrocatalysts capable of efficiently driving the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), with such bifunctional electrocatalysts being particularly sought after for rechargeable metal-air batteries. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of a highly efficient bifuctional ORR/OER electrocatalyst, comprising tubular assemblies of 20-40 nm N-doped carbon nanotubes containing NiFe alloy nanoparticles (denoted herein as TA-NiFe@NCNT). To synthesize TA-NiFe@NCNT, we first prepared g-C3N4 nanotubes with a diameter ∼200 nm as a sacrificial template and nitrogen source, then decorated the nanotubes with NiFe-layered double hydroxide nanoparticles (NiFe-LDH). The NiFe-LDH/g-C3N4 composite obtained was then coated with a thin layer of glucose (an additional carbon source), then the resulting NiFe-LDH/g-C3N4@Glu composite was pyrolyzed at 900 °C in N2. The obtained TA-NiFe@NCNT product exhibited a low overpotential of only 310 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 during OER in 0.1 M KOH (cf. 401 mV for IrO2) and an ORR activity in 0.1 M KOH (onset potential of 0.93 V and half-wave potential of 0.81 V vs. RHE) comparable to a commercial Pt/C catalyst (onset potential of 0.99 V and half-wave potential of 0.82 V vs. RHE). The remarkable bifunctional performance of TA-NiFe@NCNT can be attributed to the excellent OER and ORR activities of NiFe alloy nanoparticles and NCNTs, respectively, as well as the high porosity and excellent conductivity of the electrocatalyst that benefitted mass and electron transfer processes, respectively. A custom-built rechargeable zinc-air battery constructed using TA-NiFe@NCNT at the air electrode delivered a lower charge-discharge voltage gap (0.92 V) and longer cycling lifetime (170 h at 25 mA cm-2) than a battery fabricated using a mixture of IrO2 and Pt/C as air electrode catalysts.

A size tunable bimetallic nickel-zinc nitride as a multi-functional co-catalyst on nitrogen doped titania boosts solar energy conversion

To enable high-efficiency solar energy conversion, rational design and preparation of low cost and stable semiconductor photocatalysts with associated co-catalysts are desirable. However preparation of efficient catalytic systems remains a challenge. Here, N-doped TiO2/ternary nickel-zinc nitride (N-TiO2-Ni3ZnN) nanocomposites have been shown to be a multi-functional catalyst for photocatalytic reactions. The particle size of Ni3ZnN can be readily tuned using N-TiO2 nanospheres as the active support. Due to its high conductivity and Pt-like properties, Ni3ZnN promotes charge separation and transfer, as well as reaction kinetics. The material shows co-catalytic performance relevant for multiple reactions, demonstrating its multifunctionality. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations confirm the intrinsic metallic properties of Ni3ZnN. N-TiO2-Ni3ZnN exhibits evidently improved photocatalytic performances as compared to N-TiO2 under visible light irradiation.

Antiperovskites with Exceptional Functionalities

ABX₃ perovskites, as the largest family of crystalline materials, have attracted tremendous research interest worldwide due to their versatile multifunctionalities and the intriguing scientific principles underlying them. Their counterparts, antiperovskites (X₃ BA), are actually electronically inverted perovskite derivatives, but they are not an ignorable family of functional materials. In fact, inheriting the flexible structural features of perovskites while being rich in cations at X sites, antiperovskites exhibit a diverse array of unconventional physical and chemical properties. However, rather less attention has been paid to these "inverse" analogs, and therefore, a comprehensive review is urgently needed to arouse general concern. Recent advances in novel antiperovskite materials and their exceptional functionalities are summarized, including superionic conductivity, superconductivity, giant magnetoresistance, negative thermal expansion, luminescence, and electrochemical energy conversion. In particular, considering the feasibility of the perovskite structure, a universal strategy for enhancing the performance of or generating new phenomena in antiperovskites is discussed from the perspective of solid-state chemistry. With more research enthusiasm, antiperovskites are highly anticipated to become a rising star family of functional materials.

Cobalt decorated nitrogen-doped carbon bowls as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Cobalt decorated nitrogen-doped carbon bowls (Co@NCB) demonstrate better ORR performance than Pt/C in terms of half-wave potential and stability.

Fe-doped mayenite electride composite with 2D reduced Graphene Oxide: As a non-platinum based, highly durable electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Since the last decades, non-precious metal catalysts (NPMC), especially iron based electrocatalysts show sufficient activity, potentially applicant in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), however they only withstand considerable current densities at low operating potentials. On the other hand iron based electrocatalysts are not stable at elevated cathode potentials, which is essential for high energy competence, and its remains difficult to deal. Therefore, via this research a simple approach is demonstrated that allows synthesis of nanosize Fe-doped mayenite electride, [Ca24Al28O64]4+·(e-)4 (can also write as, C12A7-xFex:e-, where doping level, x = 1) (thereafter, Fe-doped C12A7:e-), consist of abundantly available elements with gram level powder material production, based on simple citrate sol-gel method. The maximum achieved conductivity of this first time synthesized Fe-doped C12A7:e- composite materials was 249 S/cm. Consequently, Fe-doped C12A7:e- composite is cost-effective, more active and highly durable precious-metal free electrocatalyst, with 1.03 V onset potential, 0.89 V (RHE) half-wave potential, and ~5.9 mA/cm2 current density, which is higher than benchmark 20% Pt/C (5.65 mA/cm2, and 0.84 V). The Fe-doped C12A7:e- has also higher selectivity for desired 4e- pathway, and more stable than 20 wt% Pt/C electrode with higher immunity towards methanol poisoning. Fe-doped C12A7:e- loses was almost zero of its original activity after passing 11 h compared to the absence of methanol case, indicates that to introduce methanol has almost negligible consequence for ORR performance, which makes it highly desirable, precious-metal free electrocatalyst in ORR. This is primarily described due to coexistence of Fe-doped C12A7:e- related active sites with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with pyridinic-nitrogen, and their strong coupling consequence along their porous morphology textures. These textures assist rapid diffusion of molecules to catalyst active sites quickly. In real system maximum power densities reached to 243 and 275 mW/cm2 for Pt/C and Fe-doped C12A7:e- composite, respectively.

Recent advances in two-dimensional materials and their nanocomposites in sustainable energy conversion applications

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a wide platform in research and expanding nano- and atomic-level applications. This study is motivated by the well-established 2D catalysts, which demonstrate high efficiency, selectivity and sustainability exceeding that of classical noble metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and/or hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Nowadays, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water electrolysis is crucial for the cost-efficient production of a pure hydrogen fuel. We will also discuss another important point related to electrochemical carbon dioxide and nitrogen reduction (ECR and N2RR) in detail. In this review, we mainly focused on the recent progress in the fuel cell technology based on 2D materials, including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, black phosphorus, MXenes, metal-organic frameworks, and metal oxide nanosheets. First, the basic attributes of the 2D materials were described, and their fuel cell mechanisms were also summarized. Finally, some effective methods for enhancing the performance of the fuel cells based on 2D materials were also discussed, and the opportunities and challenges of 2D material-based fuel cells at the commercial level were also provided. This review can provide new avenues for 2D materials with properties suitable for fuel cell technology development and related fields.

Novel Two-Dimensional Carbon-Chromium Nitride-Based Composite as an Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

For future pollution-free renewable energy production, platinum group metal (PGM)-free electrocatalysts are highly required for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to avoid all possible Fenton reactions and to make fuel cell more economical. Therefore, in this study, to overcome traditional electrocatalyst limitations, we applied facile method to synthesize robust mesoporous CrN-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite with MnO (thereafter, Cr/rGO composite with MnO) as an electrocatalyst by efficient one-step sol-gel method by ammonolysis at 900°C for 9 h. Synthesized porous structures of Cr/rGO nanocomposite with MnO have the highest estimated surface area of 379 m2·g-1, higher than that of the carbon black (216 m2·g cat - 1 ) support, and almost uniform pore size distribution of about 4 nm. The Cr/rGO nanocomposites with MnO exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic ORR properties with estimated high half-wave potential of 0.89 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and current density of 5.90 mA·cm-2, compared with that of benchmark 20% Pt/C electrode (0.84 V, 5.50 mA·cm-2), with noticeable methanol tolerance and significantly enhanced stability in alkaline media. Hence, the Cr/rGO nanocomposites with MnO showed superior performance to 20 wt.% Pt/C; their half-wave potentials were 50 mV high, and the limiting current density was 0.40 mA·cm-2 high. In alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AAEMFC) setup, this cell delivers a power density of 309 mW·cm-2 for Cr/rGO nanocomposite with MnO, demonstrating its potential use for energy conversion applications. The nanosized Cr/rGO metallic crystalline nanocomposites with MnO gave a large active surface area owing to the presence of rGO, which also has an effect on the charge distribution and electronic states. Hence, it may be the reason that Cr/rGO nanocomposites with MnO, acting as more active and more stable catalytic materials, boosted the electrocatalytic properties. The synergistic consequence in nanosized Cr/rGO composite with MnO imparts the materials' high electron mobility and thus robust ORR activity in 0.1 M of KOH solution. This potential method is highly efficient for synthesis of large-scale, non-noble-metal-based electrocatalytic (NNME) materials (i.e., Cr/rGO nanocomposite with MnO) on the gram level and is efficient in preparing novel, low-cost, and more stable non-PGM catalysts for fuel cells.

Recent Progresses in Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Energy Applications

Abstract

Electrochemical energy storage systems such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries can be used as clean power sources for electric vehicles. In these systems, one necessary reaction at the cathode is the catalysis of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is the rate-determining factor affecting overall system performance. Therefore, to increase the rate of ORR for enhanced system performances, efficient electrocatalysts are essential. And although ORR electrocatalysts have been intensively explored and developed, significant breakthroughs have yet been achieved in terms of catalytic activity, stability, cost and associated electrochemical system performance. Based on this, this review will comprehensively present the recent progresses of ORR electrocatalysts, including precious metal catalysts, non-precious metal catalysts, single-atom catalysts and metal-free catalysts. In addition, major technical challenges are analyzed and possible future research directions to overcome these challenges are proposed to facilitate further research and development toward practical application.

Graphic Abstract

Prussian blue derived Fe2N for efficiently improving the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of g-C3N4 nanosheets

Prussian blue derived Fe₂N nanoparticles to efficiently improve the photocatalytic H₂-generation rate over pure g-C₃N₄ nanosheets.

Nanostructured carbons containing FeNi/NiFe2O4 supported over N-doped carbon nanofibers for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts on carbon materials with high durability and low cost have been developed to ameliorate the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) for electrochemical energy applications such as in fuel cells and water electrolysis. Herein, two different morphologies of FeNi/NiFe₂O₄ supported over hierarchical N-doped carbons were achieved via carbonization of the polymer nanofibers by controlling the ratio of metal salts to melamine: a mixture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanotubes (GNTs) supported over carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with spherical FeNi encapsulated at the tips (G/CNT@NCNF, 1 : 3), and graphene sheets wrapped CNFs with embedded needle-like FeNi (GS@NCNF, 2 : 3). G/CNT@NCNF shows excellent ORR activity (on-set potential: 0.948 V vs. RHE) and methanol tolerance, whilst GS@NCNF exhibited significantly lower over-potential of only 230 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for OER. Such high activities are due to the synergistic effects of bimetallic NPs encapsulated at CNT tips and N-doped carbons with unique hierarchical structures and the desired defects.

Non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts on carbon materials with high durability and low cost have been developed to ameliorate the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen-evolution reaction (OER).

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene-Encapsulated Nickel Cobalt Nitride as a Highly Sensitive and Selective Electrode for Glucose and Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing Applications

To explore a natural nonenzymatic electrode catalyst for highly sensitive and selective molecular detection for targeting biomolecules is a very challenging task. Metal nitrides have attracted huge interest as promising electrodes for glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) sensing applications due to their exceptional redox properties, superior electrical conductivity, and superb mechanical strength. However, the deprived electrochemical stability extremely limits the commercialization opportunities. Herein, novel nitrogen-doped graphene-encapsulated nickel cobalt nitride (Ni _xCo_{3- x}N/NG) core-shell nanostructures with a controllable molar ratio of Ni/Co are successfully fabricated and employed as highly sensitive and selective electrodes for glucose and H₂O₂ sensing applications. The highly sensitive and selective properties of the optimized core-shell NiCo₂N/NG electrode are because of the high synergistic effect of the NiCo₂N core and the NG shell, as evidenced by a superior glucose sensing performance with a short response time of <3 s, a wide linear range from 2.008 μM to 7.15 mM, an excellent sensitivity of 1803 μA mM^-1 cm^-2, and a low detection limit of 50 nM (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the core-shell NiCo₂N/NG electrode shows excellent H₂O₂ sensing performances with a short response time of ∼3 s, a wide detection range of 200 nM to 3.4985 mM, a high sensitivity of 2848.73 μA mM^-1 cm^-2, and ultra-low limit detection of 200 nM (S/N = 3). The NiCo₂N/NG sensor can also be employed for glucose and H₂O₂ detection in human blood serum, promising its application toward the determination of glucose and H₂O₂ in real samples.

Facile synthesis of tin-doped mayenite electride composite as a non-noble metal durable electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)

In this study, we synthesized nanosized Sn-doped C12A7:e- (C12Al7-xSnx:e-, where x = 0.20 to 1) composite with high surface area of 244 m2 g-1. An increasing trend in conductivity of Sn-doped C12A7:e- composites was observed at 300 K: 24 S cm-1, 68 S cm-1, 190 S cm-1 and 290 S cm-1, at doping levels of x = 0.20, 0.40, 0.80, and 1, respectively. Sn-doped C12A7:e-, with and without reduced graphene oxide (rGO), acts as a less expensive and highly active and durable electrocatalyst in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cells. In the case of C12A7-xSnx:e- (where x = 1), calculated onset potential and current density were comparable to the commercially available 20% Pt/C electrode. Moreover, significant improvement was observed for Sn-doped C12A7:e- (doping level x = 1) with rGO composite. The ORR current density was about 5.9 mA cm-2, which was higher than that of Pt/C (5.2 mA cm-2). Our investigation of the effect of cation doping on structural and electrical properties of Sn-doped C12A7:e- composites shows that these results manifested the feasibility of this sol-gel method for different element doping. Furthermore, the as-prepared promising non-noble metal catalysts (NNMCs), viz., Sn-doped C12A7:e- composite materials, possess intrinsic long-time stability and excellent methanol resistance toward ORR in alkaline media and may serve as a promising alternative to Pt/C materials for ORR in its widespread implementation in fuel cells.

Cobalt and Nitrogen Codoped Carbon Nanosheets Templated from NaCl as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in a cathode is an essential component of many electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. Two-dimensional materials are beneficial for electron conduction and mass transport with high density, showing prominent electrochemical catalytic performance towards the ORR. Herein, a simple NaCl-assisted method to synthesize cobalt-nitrogen-doped carbon materials (CoNC), which present prominent performance towards the ORR in alkaline media, is described. The utilization of the NaCl template endows the product with a large specific surface area of 556.4 m²  g^-1 , as well as good dispersion of cobalt nanoparticles. CoNC-800@NaCl (800 indicates the calcination temperature in °C) displays an excellent onset potential of 0.94 V (vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode), which is close to that of commercial Pt/C. Additionally, CoNC-800@NaCl also exhibits better long-term durability and methanol tolerance than that of Pt/C. The high-performance CoNC-800@NaCl catalyst provides a hopeful alternative to noble-metal catalysts for the ORR in practical applications.

In Situ Growth of NiFe Alloy Nanoparticles Embedded into N-Doped Bamboo-like Carbon Nanotubes as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Zn-Air Batteries

Developing low-cost catalysts for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with superior performance in an alkaline solution is of significance for large-scale applications in aqueous zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, we describe the in situ design of embedded NiFe nanoparticles into the N-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotube (NBCNT) with high catalytic performance and stability. The obtained NiFe@NBCNT hybrid exhibits a high electrochemical activity and stability with an unexpectedly low overpotential of ∼195 mV for OER at 10 mA cm^-2 and an onset potential at 1.03 V for ORR, superior to the state-of-the-art Pt/C and RuO₂ catalysts. Additionally, compared to the mixture of Pt/C and RuO₂ cathodes, the ZAB based on the NiFe@NBCNT cathode displays a lower overpotential (0.80 V), higher stable round-trip efficiency (58.3%), and improved power density for 200 cycles at 10 mA cm^-2. Apparently, the obtained results indicate that the NiFe@NBCNT hybrid is proven to be one of the best nonnoble metal catalysts for achieving commercial implementation of rechargeable ZABs.

Stable and Efficient Nitrogen-Containing Carbon-Based Electrocatalysts for Reactions in Energy-Conversion Systems

High activity and stability are crucial for the practical use of electrocatalysts in fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and water electrolysis, including the oxygen reduction reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and oxidation reactions of formic acid and alcohols. Electrocatalysts based on nitrogen-containing carbon (N-C) materials show promise in catalyzing these reactions; however, there is no systematic review of strategies for the engineering of active and stable N-C-based electrocatalysts. Herein, a comprehensive comparison of recently reported N-C-based electrocatalysts regarding both electrocatalytic activity and long-term stability is presented. In the first part of this review, the relationships between the electrocatalytic reactions and selection of the element to modify the N-C-based materials are discussed. Afterwards, synthesis methods for N-C-based electrocatalysts are summarized, and strategies for the synthesis of highly stable N-C-based electrocatalysts are presented. Multiple tables containing data on crucial parameters for both electrocatalytic activity and stability are displayed in this review. Finally, constructing M-N_x moieties is proposed as the most promising engineering strategy for stable N-C-based electrocatalysts.

Template-Free Preparation of 3D Porous Co-Doped VN Nanosheet-Assembled Microflowers with Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Activity

Developing cheap and stable electrocatalysts is considered the key factor to achieve the large-scale application of fuel cells. In this paper, three-dimensional (3D) porous Co-doped vanadium nitride (VN) nanosheet-assembled microflowers are prepared with a facile solvothermal approach followed by nitridation at 500 °C in NH₃. It is found that the microflower morphology and the Co doping both significantly enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of the materials. Because the unique 3D porous structure provides higher specific surface area and more active sites as well as enriching the d electrons of V via doping, Co also improves the intrinsic activity of VN. Our optimal V_0.95Co_0.05N microflowers achieve a half-wave potential for the ORR of up to 0.80 V in 0.1 M KOH solution, which is almost comparable to that of commercial 20% Pt/C. More importantly, the catalysts show superior durability with little current decline (less than 12%) during chronoamperometric evaluation for over 25 000 s. These features make the V_0.95Co_0.05N microflowers attractive for fuel cell applications.

Recent Progress on MOF-Derived Heteroatom-Doped Carbon-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the core reaction of numerous sustainable energy-conversion technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. It is crucial to develop a cost-effective, highly active, and durable electrocatalysts for ORR to overcome the sluggish kinetics of four electrons pathway. In recent years, the carbon-based electrocatalysts derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted tremendous attention and have been shown to exhibit superior catalytic activity and excellent intrinsic properties such as large surface area, large pore volume, uniform pore distribution, and tunable chemical structure. Here in this review, the development of MOF-derived heteroatom-doped carbon-based electrocatalysts, including non-metal (such as N, S, B, and P) and metal (such as Fe and Co) doped carbon materials, is summarized. It furthermore, it is demonstrated that the enhancement of ORR performance is associated with favorably well-designed porous structure, large surface area, and high-tensity active sites. Finally, the future perspectives of carbon-based electrocatalysts for ORR are provided with an emphasis on the development of a clear mechanism of MOF-derived non-metal-doped electrocatalysts and certain metal-doped electrocatalysts.