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Self-templated formation of cobalt-embedded hollow N-doped carbon spheres for efficient oxygen reduction

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Abstract

The slow kinetics at the cathode of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) seriously limits the efficiencies of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Pt, the state-of-the-art ORR electrocatalyst, suffers from high cost, low earth abundance, and poor stability. Here a self-templated strategy based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is proposed for the fabrication of hollow nitrogen-doped carbon spheres that are embedded with cobalt nanoparticles (Co/HNC). The Co/HNC manifests better ORR activities, methanol tolerance, and stability than commercial Pt/C. The high ORR performance of Co/NHC can be attributed to the hollow structure which provides enlarged electrochemically active surface area, the formation of more Co-N species, and the introduction of defects. This work highlights the significance of rational engineering of MOFs for enhanced ORR activity and stability and offers new routes to the design and synthesis of high-performance electrocatalysts.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21673150 and 51922073), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20180097). We acknowledge the financial support from the 111 Project, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology (NANO-CIC), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD). Y. Y. is grateful for the financial support from the UC-KIMS Center for Innovative Materials for Energy and Environment.

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  1. Ayaz Mahsud, Jianian Chen, and Xiaolei Yuan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Ayaz Mahsud, Jianian Chen, Fenglei Lyu, Qixuan Zhong, Jinxing Chen & Qiao Zhang

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong, 9 Seyuan Road, Nantong, 226019, China

    Xiaolei Yuan

  3. Department of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering program, and UCR Center for Catalysis, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Jinxing Chen & Yadong Yin

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  1. Ayaz Mahsud
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Correspondence to Fenglei Lyu or Qiao Zhang.

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Mahsud, A., Chen, J., Yuan, X. et al. Self-templated formation of cobalt-embedded hollow N-doped carbon spheres for efficient oxygen reduction. Nano Res. 14, 2819–2825 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3292-4

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