Ion-Induced Formation of Hierarchical Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Materials with Enhanced Oxygen Reduction

Nanostructured nitrogen-doped carbon materials are considered as an appealing material to replace precious-metal Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells due to a high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and outstanding stability. In the present work, we developed an ion-induced method for the fabrication of hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon materials (HPNC) using Cd-organic complexes as sacrificial templates and precursors. During pyrolysis, a hierarchical porous structure with a high specific surface area was formed through the combination of a metal-free ion as structure-directing agent and the evaporation property of Cd. Benefiting from this unique structure, the resulting HPNC exhibited comparable ORR performance with commercial Pt/C, including positive onset potential of 0.96 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode), positive half-wave potential of 0.86 V vs. RHE, good methanol tolerance and stability. On this basis, the assembled Zn-air battery showed high open circuit potential, power density and excellent stability.

Automated summary

Nanostructured nitrogen-doped carbon materials with hierarchical porous structure and high specific surface area were synthesized using an ion-induced method, showing comparable oxygen reduction reaction performance and stability with commercial Pt/C. The resulting material exhibited good methanol tolerance and stability, leading to high performance in assembled Zn-air battery.