A solution-based procedure for synthesis of nitrogen doped graphene as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reactions in acidic and alkaline electrolytes

BAYRAM E., Yilmaz G., Mukerjee S.

APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL, vol.192, pp.26-34, 2016 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 192
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.03.043
  • Journal Name: APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.26-34
  • Keywords: Nitrogen doped graphene, Electrocatalyst, Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), Methanol-tolerant, Fuel cell, METAL-FREE CATALYST, RECENT PROGRESS, ACTIVE-SITES, OXIDE, NANOSTRUCTURES, ARRAYS, BORON, SIZE
  • Akdeniz University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

A nitrogen-doped graphene (N-GN) based electrocatalysts have been synthesized by a two-step solution based scalable procedure of direct annealing of grapheneoxide (GO)/melamine gel mixture. The specific surface area (SSA) of GO has been increased through the pre-gelation of melamine on GO sheets as spacing. Despite the low nitrogen content, the N-GNs displayed much more oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities with positive onset potentials and large current densities than the blank sample. Moreover, compared with the high quality commercial (46%) Pt/C, N-GN15 exhibits higher current density and excellent tolerance to methanol crossover effect in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes making it an economic noble metal-free candidate for practical fuel cells. The higher current densities of N-GNs over blank sample and Pt/C have been linked to the synergetic effect of surface graphitic N groups and larger SSA of N-GNs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.