Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Electrocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 5075

Special Issue Editors

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
Interests: non-noble metal electrocatalysts; transition metal macrocycle; oxygen reduction reaction; fuel cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: key materials and relevant technologies of fuel cells, including the design and fabrication of new electrocatalysts and high-performance membrane electrodes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To date, transition metal-based electrocatalysts with low-price and adequate reserves have stimulated extensive efforts on green and renewable energy technologies, especially for fuel cells. As the heart of the fuel cell, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of paramount importance, while platinum-based noble metal electrocatalysts are known as highly efficiently ORR electrocatalysts for fuel cells. However, the high cost and limited reserve of Pt preclude commercial applications. In order to further reduce or even eliminate the usage of Pt, great efforts have been made on the development of non-noble metal electrocatalysts (NNMEs). Today, NNMEs are regarded as the most promising electrocatalysts as alternatives for Pt-based electrocatalysts for the ORR, though the relatively low density of active sites in NNMEs hinders their research and development. Thus, from the aspects of synthesis method and mechanism research, it is crucial to enhance the effective exposure of the active sites in NNMEs. As a result, iron- and/or cobalt-based NNMEs are highly effective for ORR in alkaline and acidic solution. This Special Issue aims to cover recent progress and trends in designing, synthesizing, characterizing, and evaluating advanced NNMEs for both alkaline and acidic solution.

Dr. Yan Xie
Dr. Jia Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Non-noble metal electrocatalyst
  • Oxygen reduction reaction
  • Proton exchange membrane fuel cell
  • Carbon materials
  • Hierarchical pores

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8591 KiB  
Article
Dual-MOFs-Derived Fe and Mn Species Anchored on Bamboo-like Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Oxygen Reduction as Electrocatalysts
by Ailan Situ, Tianyou Zhao, Yuetong Huang, Pingzhen Li, Lingui Yang, Zehong Zhang, Zhaochen Wang, Yongsheng Ou, Xiongcong Guan, Jinxiu Wen, Jiong Zhang, Yunfeng Zhan and Xiufeng Tang
Catalysts 2023, 13(8), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13081161 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 945
Abstract
The development of efficient non-precious metal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace Pt-based methods is crucial for the applications of fuel cells and metal–air batteries. In this study, a bimetallic M-N-C catalyst with highly dispersed dual-atom Fe/Mn-Nx sites immobilized on N-doped [...] Read more.
The development of efficient non-precious metal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace Pt-based methods is crucial for the applications of fuel cells and metal–air batteries. In this study, a bimetallic M-N-C catalyst with highly dispersed dual-atom Fe/Mn-Nx sites immobilized on N-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes is prepared by the ball-milling and calcination of dual-MOFs as precursors. The rich N-doping and abundant M–Nx species contribute to the excellent intrinsic ORR activity of the catalyst, and the unique bamboo-like nanotubes morphology is beneficial for facilitating electron transfer and mass transport while simultaneously enabling the exposure of active sites. As expected, the optimized Z-Fe1Mn1-NC catalyst exhibits efficient ORR activity with a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.80 V in acid and 0.82 V in alkaline, and a higher electrochemical stability with the current density maintained at 91% (in 0.1 M KOH) and 86% (0.1 M HClO4) of its initial current density after 15 h of a chronoamperometric test at a high potential of 0.7 V. When further applied to Zn–air batteries, the catalyst also delivers a high open-circuit voltage, large power density, and outstanding rate performance. This work provides a novel means of designing dual metal M–Nx site-based M-N-C catalysts for ORR sustainable energy applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction)
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24 pages, 3558 KiB  
Article
Giving New Life to Waste Cigarette Butts: Transformation into Platinum Group Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid, Neutral and Alkaline Environment
by Davide Testa, Giovanni Zuccante, Mohsin Muhyuddin, Roberto Landone, Axel Scommegna, Roberto Lorenzi, Maurizio Acciarri, Elisabetta Petri, Francesca Soavi, Lorenzo Poggini, Laura Capozzoli, Alessandro Lavacchi, Niccolò Lamanna, Andrea Franzetti, Luca Zoia and Carlo Santoro
Catalysts 2023, 13(3), 635; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13030635 - 22 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
Following the core theme of a circular economy, a novel strategy to upcycle cigarette butt waste into platinum group metal (PGM)-free metal nitrogen carbon (M-N-C) electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is presented. The experimental route was composed of (i) the transformation of [...] Read more.
Following the core theme of a circular economy, a novel strategy to upcycle cigarette butt waste into platinum group metal (PGM)-free metal nitrogen carbon (M-N-C) electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is presented. The experimental route was composed of (i) the transformation of the powdered cigarette butts into carbonaceous char via pyrolysis at 450 °C, 600 °C, 750 °C and 900 °C, (ii) the porosity activation with KOH and (iii) the functionalization of the activated chars with iron (II) phthalocyanine (FePc). The electrochemical outcomes obtained by the rotating disk electrode (RRDE) technique revealed that the sample pyrolyzed at 450 °C (i.e., cig_450) outperformed the other counterparts with its highest onset (Eon) and half-wave potentials (E1/2) and demonstrated nearly tetra-electronic ORR in acidic, neutral and alkaline electrolytes, all resulting from the optimal surface chemistry and textural properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction)
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15 pages, 4282 KiB  
Article
MIL-88-Derived N and S Co-Doped Carbon Materials with Supplemental FeSx to Enhance the Oxygen Reduction Reaction Performance
by Yu Liu, Yinghao Xu, He Wang, Jia Zhang, Haiyan Zhao, Li Chen, Ling Xu, Yan Xie and Jiahui Huang
Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080806 - 22 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1645
Abstract
To overcome the drawbacks of the single N-doped carbon materials, the further development of dual-heteroatoms (N and S) co-doped electrocatalysts is highly anticipated. Herein, N, S-doping and Fe-based carbon materials were synthesized by pyrolyzing a metal–organic framework (MIL-88) with the addition of N-/N, [...] Read more.
To overcome the drawbacks of the single N-doped carbon materials, the further development of dual-heteroatoms (N and S) co-doped electrocatalysts is highly anticipated. Herein, N, S-doping and Fe-based carbon materials were synthesized by pyrolyzing a metal–organic framework (MIL-88) with the addition of N-/N, and S-containing ligands (chitosan and L-Cysteine) in the case of iron salt. The resulting electrocatalyst heat-treated at 850 °C (FeNSC-850) displays superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performances to MIL-88-850, with an overall electron transfer number of 3.97 and a minor yield of HO2-% (<2.6%). In addition to the comparable activity to commercial Pt/C in catalyzing the ORR in alkaline solution, the FeNSC-850 also shows higher stability, with a slight decline in half-wave potential (∆E1/2 = 15 mV) after 5000-cycle scanning of cyclic voltammetry. In view of the multiple Fe-based active sites, the additional S doping within FeNSC-850 creates more FeSx active sites for boosting the ORR performances in alkaline solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction)
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