Hierarchically Porous Three-Dimensional (3D) Carbon Nanorod Networks with a High Content of FeNx Sites for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction.
LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022;
38:11372-11381. [PMID:
36084323 DOI:
10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01664]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Efficient, durable, and inexpensive electrocatalysts are recommendable for accelerating the kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction and achieving high performance. Herein, with predesigned hierarchically porous silica nanorods as a hard template, hierarchically macro-bimodal meso/microporous 3D carbon interwoven nanorod networks containing a high content of single-atom FeNx species (Fe/RNC) were prepared by melting of precursors and confined pyrolysis within the pores of the hard template. What distinguishes the use of silica nanorods as a hard template is that it not only provides a porous texture for confined pyrolysis of the precursors but also the interwoven texture of the nanorods gives rise to a macroporous mesh-like morphology. Benefiting from the ultrahigh iron content (5.69 wt %) of the FeNx sites, a 3D porous network configuration with high accessibility of active centers, as well as a high specific surface area of 793 m2g-1, the as-prepared Fe/RNC exhibited superior activity and durability for ORR and zinc-air batteries. For comparison, the catalyst Fe/NC-MCM, which was prepared with a similar procedure but with unimodal mesoporous silica MCM-41 nanoparticles as the hard template, possesses a less porous structure and active accessibility and thus exhibits inferior ORR activity. This work provides an effective design/nanoengineering for electrocatalysts in ORR and zinc-air batteries and will inspire more research on accessibility of active sites in non-noble carbon-based electrocatalysts.
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