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Hierarchical porous N-doped graphene foams with superior oxygen reduction reactivity for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Author

Listed:
  • Zhou, Xuejun
  • Tang, Sheng
  • Yin, Yan
  • Sun, Shuihui
  • Qiao, Jinli

Abstract

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the most important processes in energy conversion and conservation such as in fuel cells, metal–air batteries and water-splitting devices. In this work, hierarchical porous N-doped graphene foams (HPGFs) functioned by a transition metal were successfully prepared using silica nanoparticles as a template. The introduction of a silica template and a transition metal provided HPGFs with a large specific surface area (918.7m2/g) and abundant active sites. By selecting proper nitrogen precursors (cyanamide, melamine and urea), HPGFs exhibit excellent ORR catalytic activity in 0.1M KOH with a high onset potential of 1.03V and a limiting current of ∼9mAcm−2, even better than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts at the same loading. Surprisingly, they show superior catalytic activity in an acidic medium with an onset potential of 0.81V and a limiting current reaching ∼10mAcm−2. Furthermore, the catalysts deliver good methanol tolerance and excellent long term durability after 5000 cycles of accelerated durability tests in both acidic and alkaline solutions, much better than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Very inspiring cell performance was observed with HPGF-1 catalyst upon integration into a zinc–air battery. Our study presents an experimental realization of rationally designing a highly efficient ORR electrocatalyst for electrochemical energy conversion systems particular to fuel cells and metal–air batteries.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhou, Xuejun & Tang, Sheng & Yin, Yan & Sun, Shuihui & Qiao, Jinli, 2016. "Hierarchical porous N-doped graphene foams with superior oxygen reduction reactivity for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 459-467.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:175:y:2016:i:c:p:459-467
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.03.066
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pei, Pucheng & Wang, Keliang & Ma, Ze, 2014. "Technologies for extending zinc–air battery’s cyclelife: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 315-324.
    2. Pei, Pucheng & Chen, Huicui, 2014. "Main factors affecting the lifetime of Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells in vehicle applications: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 60-75.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhong, Kengqiang & Li, Meng & Yang, Yue & Zhang, Hongguo & Zhang, Bopeng & Tang, Jinfeng & Yan, Jia & Su, Minhua & Yang, Zhiquan, 2019. "Nitrogen-doped biochar derived from watermelon rind as oxygen reduction catalyst in air cathode microbial fuel cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 516-525.
    2. Pei, Pucheng & Huang, Shangwei & Chen, Dongfang & Li, Yuehua & Wu, Ziyao & Ren, Peng & Wang, Keliang & Jia, Xiaoning, 2019. "A high-energy-density and long-stable-performance zinc-air fuel cell system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C), pages 124-129.
    3. Nandan, Ravi & Goswami, Gopal Krishna & Nanda, Karuna Kar, 2017. "Direct synthesis of Pt-free catalyst on gas diffusion layer of fuel cell and usage of high boiling point fuels for efficient utilization of waste heat," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 1050-1058.
    4. She, Yiyi & Chen, Jinfan & Zhang, Chengxu & Lu, Zhouguang & Ni, Meng & Sit, Patrick H.-L. & Leung, Michael K.H., 2018. "Nitrogen-doped graphene derived from ionic liquid as metal-free catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction and its mechanisms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 513-521.

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