Electrocatalytic activity of electrodeposited composite films of polypyrrole and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles towards oxygen reduction reaction

Well-Combined Magnetically Separable Hybrid Cobalt Ferrite/Nitrogen-Doped Graphene as Efficient Catalyst with Superior Performance for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Catalysts with low-cost, high activity and stability toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are extremely desirable, but its development still remains a great challenge. Here, a novel magnetically separable hybrid of multimetal oxide, cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4), anchored on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (CoFe2O4/NG) is prepared via a facile solvothermal method followed by calcination at 500 °C. The structure of CoFe2O4/NG and the interaction of both components are analyzed by several techniques. The possible formation of Co/Fe-N interaction in the CoFe2O4/NG catalyst is found. As a result, the well-combination of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles with NG and its improved crystallinity lead to a synergistic and efficient catalyst with high performance to ORR through a four-electron-transfer process in alkaline medium. The CoFe2O4/NG exhibits particularly comparable catalytic activity as commercial Pt/C catalyst, and superior stability against methanol oxidation and CO poisoning. Meanwhile, it has been proved that both nitrogen doping and the spinel structure of CoFe2O4 can have a significant contribution to the catalytic activity by contrast experiments. Multimetal oxide hybrid demonstrates better catalysis to ORR than a single metal oxide hybrid. All results make the low-cost and magnetically separable CoFe2O4/NG a promising alternative for costly platinum-based ORR catalyst in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

Tungsten Carbide Nanocrystal Promoted Pt/C Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

Tungsten carbide nanocrystals on carbon (W2C/C) and tungsten carbide nanocrystals and Pt on carbon (Pt-W2C/C) composite electrocatalysts were prepared by the intermittent microwave heating (IMH) method and tested for the electroreduction of oxygen in the acidic media for the first time. The results revealed that the tungsten carbide nanocrystal promoted Pt/C electrocatalyst was very active for ORR with the onset potential of 1.0 V vs SHE at ambient temperature that is over 100 mV more positive compared with that of traditional Pt/C electrocatalyst. The kinetic parameters were determined. The exchange current densities at both high and low overpotential regions are two orders higher for ORR on Pt-W2C/C than that on Pt/C, showing a synergetic effect to improve the activity for ORR. The novel electrocatalysts show a poisoning resistant property toward methanol.