Synergistic Effect of Nitrogen Doping and Textural Design on Metal-Free Carbide-Derived Carbon Electrocatalysts for the ORR
Berta Pérez‐Román, Francisco J. Recio, Jesús López‐Sánchez, L. Pascual, M. Alejandra Mazo, Fernando Rubio‐Marcos
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical to energy conversion technologies and requires efficient catalysts for superior performance. Herein, nitrogen-doped carbide-derived carbon (N-CDC) catalysts are prepared using novel engineered molecular architectures based on polymer-derived ceramic technology. The obtained catalyst materials show a surface N concentration of >5 wt % and a hierarchically porous structure, resulting in a specific surface area of over 2000 m 2 g –1 . Subsequently, the electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR is studied in different media (acid, neutral, and alkaline conditions) using a rotating ring-disk electrode. The N-CDC catalysts demonstrate clear improvements in performance due to nitrogen doping in neutral and acidic media, while textural properties are crucial for the ORR activity in alkaline media. Specifically, a superior onset potential (0.8 V vs RHE) and enhanced kinetics (58 mV dec –1 ) are achieved in 0.1 M KOH. This work opens new avenues in the field of electrocatalysis, highlighting the potential of N-CDC materials and their significant advantage for the controlled synthesis of hierarchical porous and doped materials.