Fe and N co-doped graphene coated nanodiamond/Fe3C as highly active and stable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

As an environment-friendly and efficient new energy technology, direct alcohol fuel cells (DMFC) are the closest technology to wide commercialization. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as the cathode reaction of DMFC needs to be catalyzed by carbon support Pt (Pt/C). However, Pt/C is expensive and has low stability. Exploring non-platinum catalysts with high stability, low cost and high activity is urgent. In this paper, nanodiamond/Fe3C core covered by Fe and N co-doped graphene-shell (ND/Fe3C@Fe-N-C) were synthesized by heat treating the mixtures of melamine and ND supported nano-Fe(OH)3 at 850 degrees C. Iron and nitrogen atoms were doped to change the surface electronic structure of graphite, formed ORR highly catalytic active sites. The ND/Fe3C@Fe-N-C was demonstrated catalytic activity comparable to Pt/C, but with better stability.

Automated summary

As an environmentally friendly and efficient new energy technology, direct alcohol fuel cells (DMFC) are on the verge of wide commercialization. However, the catalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode requires expensive and unstable Pt/C. This paper successfully synthesized nanodiamond/Fe3C core covered by Fe and N co-doped graphene-shell (ND/Fe3C@Fe-N-C) which showed catalytic activity comparable to Pt/C but with better stability.