Chitosan Waste-Derived Co and N Co-doped Carbon Electrocatalyst for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction

To achieve optimal performance of fuel cells and metal-air batteries, searching the cost-effective catalysts with enhanced activity and durability for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is highly pursued. We present a new and scalable approach to synthesize low-cost Co and N co-doped C (CoNC) catalysts from sustainable organic-rich chitosan waste. The CoNC designed here involves in chelation between the chitosan and Co ions, shows superior ORR activity. The XPS spectra demonstrate the kinds of ORR active N sites are of high content in the CoNC, which lead to preferable catalytic activity. The TEM images show more highly dispersion of Co, N and C in the CoNC, which contributes to the high ORR activity. The CoNC catalysts exhibit a remarkable limiting current of approximate to 5.36mAcm(-2) and positive onset potential of -0.105V (vs. Ag/AgCl), both of which are comparable to those of the commercial Pt/C. Additionally, the optimal CoNC also possesses prominent durability and tolerance of methanol.