Doping Copper Ions into an Fe/N/C Composite Promotes Catalyst Performance for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract

Developing new non-precious-metal catalysts for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in low-temperature fuel cells is highly desirable for replacing Pt-based noble-metal electrocatalysts. Herein, we report a two-step method to prepare Fe, Cu, and N-doped reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube (rGO/CNT) composites through the low-temperature hydrothermal treatment of iron-porphyrin-modified graphene and copper-chloride-loaded CNTs followed by high-temperature calcination, for use as efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the ORR. The optimized Fe/CuÀN-rGO/CNT catalyst exhibited higher ORR activity and superior stability, as compared to a commercial Pt/C catalyst in 0.1 mol · L À1 KOH solutions, and also demonstrates good stability in acidic electrolytes. These results suggest that additional doping of Cu ions into the Fe/N/C catalyst significantly promotes the catalyst ORR performance.

Cu/Co/CoS2 embedded in S,N-doped carbon as highly efficient oxygen reduction and evolution electrocatalyst for rechargeable zinc–air batteries

“…The highest I D / I G ratio in Cu/Co/CoS 2 @S,N–C denotes the highest degree of disordered C, which can be attributed to the binary metal as well as the S doping in NC. 47…”

“…The highest I D /I G ratio in Cu/Co/CoS 2 @S,N-C denotes the highest degree of disordered C, which can be attributed to the binary metal as well as the S doping in NC. 47 XPS is a significant tool for detecting the chemical composition of atoms and the presence state of elements on the catalyst surface. Fig.…”

Assembly with copper(ii) ions and D–π–A molecules on a graphene surface for ultra-fast acetic acid sensing at room temperature

“…Negatively charged graphene sheets were effectively assembled with positively charged Cu 2+ due to the electrostatic adsorption. 28,29 Fig . 2 shows the representative SEM inspections of rGO, 4HQ-rGO, and 4HQ-rGO/Cu 2+ deposited on the interdigitated electrodes (IDEs).…”

Design of Fe and Cu bimetallic integration into nitrogen-containing microporous graphene-like carbon via a hard-template-assisted strategy as an oxygen reduction catalyst for Al–air batteries

“…The synergistic interaction between the stable Cu-N x and Fe-N x groups, as well as the graphene-like carbon sheet, also contributes significantly to enhancing the stability of the Cu-Fe-CN structure, thereby facilitating efficient direct reduction of O 2 to H 2 O. 25,45,55,64 Consequently, the prepared Cu-Fe-CN catalyst exhibits exceptional ORR activity in alkaline electrolytes.…”