Direct Synthesis of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur Tri-doped Carbon Nanorods as Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Electrocatalysts

The growing energy and environmental crisis calls for renewable systems for energy production and conversion. Herein, polyaniline-derived porous carbon nanorods tri-doped with N, P, and S (NPSC) are directly fabricated by the one-pot polymerization of aniline and diphenylamine-4-sulfonic acid induced by organophosphonic acid and subsequent pyrolysis at 900 degrees C. The nanorods exhibit high-efficiency electrochemical oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution activity in alkaline electrolyte, along with strong durability and methanol tolerance. The synergistic effect among the tri-doped elements and the related porosity can account for the superior electrocatalytic capacity of the fabricated catalysts. Particularly, a Zn-air battery assembled with the fabricated NPSC as the cathode shows a peak power density of 122mWcm(-2) and superior stability, presenting a promising potential for sustainable energy devices, particularly regenerative metal-air batteries and fuel cells.