Enhancing performance of nitrogen-doped graphene nano-catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction by Ag loading
Wei Chen, Fangying Yuan, Xiqiong Guo, Fucong Chen, Lining Fan, Hui Zheng, Xiaoxiao Guo, Peng Zheng, Liang Zheng, Yang Zhang
Abstract
The performance of electrocatalysts in oxygen reduction reactions is crucial for clean energy technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Developing highly active and low-cost oxygen reduction catalysts remains a significant challenge. In this work, a silver loaded nitrogen doped graphene sheet (Ag-NGs) nanocomposite with high ORR catalytic performance was synthesized by a microwave plasma technique. XPS analysis reveals that silver nanoparticles preferentially adsorb onto the graphite-nitrogen site structure, resulting in improved catalytic activity for ORR, a conclusion confirmed by first principles calculations. And the incorporation of high-level nitrogen doping into graphene with a pyridine structure also contributes to the improved performance of the ORR catalyst. Moreover, the Ag-NGs nanocomposite not only demonstrates exceptional catalytic activity for the four-electron pathway of oxygen reduction reactions, but also exhibits remarkable stability. This study underscores the potential of the Ag-loaded nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite as a promising electrocatalyst for utilization in clean-energy devices.