Si-doped carbon nanotubes as efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for O2 reduction in alkaline medium

To decrease the high cost of cathodic electrocatalysts caused by platinum-based catalysts in fuel cells, a series of silicon-doped carbon nanotubes with different Si contents were synthesized by the thermolysis of trimethylphenylsilane and xylene and used as low-cost metal-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Electrochemical tests showed that the electrocatalytic activities of the synthesized Si-doped carbon nanotubes towards the ORR all were higher than that of pure carbon nanotubes and their ORR activities did not enhance proportionally with the increase of silicon doping content in alkaline medium, indicating a promising potential for designing low-cost and efficient metal-free electrocatalysts in future alkaline fuel cell devices. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.