Journal
ACS CATALYSIS
Volume 5, Issue 2, Pages 920-927Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/cs501632y
Keywords
bioarbon; yeast cells; nitrogen- and phosphorus-doped; electrocatalytic activity; oxygen reduction reaction
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51272167, 21206101]
- Sino-German Network on Electromobility
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The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode of fuel cells and metal-air batteries requires efficient electrocatalysts to accelerate its reaction rate due to its sluggish kinetics. Nitrogen- and phosphorus-doped biocarbon has been fabricated via a simple and low-cost biosynthesis method using yeast cells as a precursor. The as-prepared biocarbon exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity for the ORR. An onset potential of -0.076 V (vs Ag/AgCl) and a negative shift of only about 29 mV in the half-wave potential of the biocarbon as compared to commercial Pt/C (20 wt % Pt on Vulcan XC-72, Johnson Matthey) is achieved. The biocarbon possesses enhanced electron poverty in carbon atoms and a decreasing amount of less electroactive nitrogen and phosphorus dopants due to the biomineralization during the synthesis. The surface gap layer along with the mesopores in the biocarbon increases accessible active sites and facilitates the mass transfer during the ORR These factors correlate with the high ORR activity of the biocarbon. The results demonstrate that biomineralization plays a critical role in tailoring the structure and the electrocatalytic activity of the biocarbon for ORR.
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