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Atomically FeN2 moieties dispersed on mesoporous carbon: A new atomic catalyst for efficient oxygen reduction catalysis
Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Physics.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9239-0541
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2017 (English)In: Nano Energy, ISSN 2211-2855, E-ISSN 2211-3282, Vol. 35, p. 9-16Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Earth-abundant materials with Fe-N-C centers have been identified as promising catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but these alternatives for Pt catalysts are usually the porphyrin-like FeN4 configuration. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that FeN2 outperforms FeN4 due to its lower interaction with *O-2 and *OH intermediates and enhanced electron transport, however, achieving an optimum design of these earth-abundant materials with the enriched FeN2 catalytic centers is still a great challenge. Here, we report an intriguing template casting strategy to introduce a mass of atomically dispersed FeN2 moieties onto the surface of N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon for boosting ORR electrocatalysis. One of unique parts herein is to pre anchor Fe precursor on the surface of template (SBA-15) during catalyst synthesis, preventing Fe from penetrating into the carbon skeleton and facilitating the removal of excessive Fe-based particles during silica elimination by HF etching, resulting in a desirable model structure comprising only highly active atomically dispersed FeN2 sites, as confirmed by high-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and Mossbauer spectroscopy analysis. The well-defined structure prompts us to understand the nature of the catalytic active sites, and to demonstrate that the catalyst activity is linearly proportional to the concentration of FeN2 sites. The obtained atomic electrocatalyst exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance for ORR with a more positive half-wave potential than that of Pt/C catalyst. We further establish a kinetic model to predict the ORR activity of these single-atom dispersed catalysts. The present work elaborates on a profound understanding for designing low-cost, highly efficient FeN2-based electrocatalyst for boosting ORR.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2017. Vol. 35, p. 9-16
Keywords [en]
FeN2, Atomic dispersion, Oxygen reduction reaction, Kinetic model, Nitrogen-doped carbon
National Category
Inorganic Chemistry Condensed Matter Physics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-135254DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.03.027ISI: 000400647900002Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85015372598OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-135254DiVA, id: diva2:1098948
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2013-5252Available from: 2017-05-29 Created: 2017-05-29 Last updated: 2024-07-02Bibliographically approved

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Gracia-Espino, EduardoHu, Guangzhi

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