Preparation and Application of Fe-N Co-Doped GNR@CNT Cathode Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyst in Microbial Fuel Cells

Through one-step pyrolysis, non-noble-metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts were constructed from ferric trichloride, melamine, and graphene nanoribbon@carbon nanotube (GNR@CNT), in which a portion of the multiwall carbon nanotube is unwrapped/unzipped radially, and thus graphene nanoribbon is exposed. In this study, Fe-N/GNR@CNT materials were used as an air-cathode electrocatalyst in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for the first time. The Fe-N/C shows similar power generation ability to commercial Pt/C, and its electron transfer number is 3.57, indicating that the ORR process primarily occurs with 4-electron. Fe species, pyridinic-N, graphitic-N, and oxygen-containing groups existing in GNR@CNT frameworks are likely to endow the electrocatalysts with good ORR performance, suggesting that a GNR@CNT-based carbon supporter would be a good candidate for the non-precious metal catalyst to replace Pt-based precious metal.

Automated summary

Non-noble-metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts were successfully constructed through one-step pyrolysis, showing similar power generation ability to commercial precious metals and good ORR performance. The Fe-N/GNR@CNT materials used in microbial fuel cells demonstrated potential for practical applications.