Synthesis of Fe-doped carbon hybrid composed of CNT/flake-like carbon for catalyzing oxygen reduction

Carbon-based materials with tunable properties have emerged as promising candidates to replace Pt-based catalysts for accelerating oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells or metal-air batteries. In this work, we constructed a carbon hybrid which consists of one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes and flake-like carbons by pyrolysis of leaf-like metal-organic frameworks. The optimal hybrid electrocatalyst of Fe-7%-L-CNT-900 possesses the desired features for ORR, including active Fe species, high degree of graphitization, large specific surface area, and hierarchical porous structures. Consequently, Fe-7%-L-CNT-900 performs a high electrocatalytic activity for ORR with a half-wave potential of 0.88 V, which is comparable to that of Pt/C (20 wt.%). This strategy provides an insight into the investigation of highly efficient and low-cost composite electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

Automated summary

This study successfully achieved tunable properties of carbon materials by constructing a carbon hybrid catalyst. The catalyst demonstrates desired features for ORR and exhibits comparable electrocatalytic activity to platinum catalysts. This research provides new insights into the development of highly efficient and low-cost composite electrocatalysts.