Electrostatic Interaction in Amino Protonated Chitosan–Metal Complex Anion Hydrogels: A Simple Approach to Porous Metal Carbides/N-Doped Carbon Aerogels for Energy Conversion

Abstract

In the face of the increasingly serious rapid depletion of fossil fuels, exploring alternative energy conversion technologies may be a promising choice to alleviate this crisis. Transition metal carbides (TMCs)/carbon composites are considered as prospective electrocatalysts due to their high catalytic activities and structural stability. In this work, we report the simple synthesis of TMCs/N-doping carbon aerogels (TMCs/NCAs, including Fe3C/NCA, Mo3C2/NCA, and Fe3C-Mo2C/NCA) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using protonated chitosan/metal complex anion-chelated aerogels. Among them, the Fe3C/NCA composite possesses efficient ORR activity (similar to Pt/C), and the Fe3C/NCA-assembled Zn–air battery exhibits high power densities of about 250 mW cm–2. The density functional theory calculation reveals that the presence of graphite-N, pyridine-N, and carbon defects in the carbon framework effectively reduces the free energy of ORR occurring in Fe3C. This work provides a simple and extensible strategy for the preparation of TMCs from chitosan, which is expected to be extended to other metal carbides.

Nitrogen and Sulfur Rich Covalent Organic Framework‐Chitosan Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Disposable Urination Evaluation Tool

“…The shift of this band to a higher binding energy could be due to hydrogen bonding interactions between ─NH 2 groups of CS and ─OH groups of CS-NSCoF. [40,41] Furthermore, an additional band at 395.7 eV could result from electrostatic interactions between the ─NH 2 group of CS and the ─C═N group of NSCoF. These results are in good agreement with the discussion in the FTIR section.…”

Exploring the potent hydrolytic activity of chitosan-cerium complex microspheres resin for organophosphorus pesticide degradation

“…This is due to the addition of ceric ammonium nitrate in the preparation of CS-CCMR, and the formation of complexes with the amino or acetylamino groups of chitosan. In general, amino groups are more nucleophilic than hydroxyl groups, so the metal complexes formed by amino-containing glycosamines are much more stable than those formed by neutral polysaccharide molecules [ 49 ]. Amino-containing polysaccharides such as chitosan, heparin and other species containing nucleophilic amino groups, can complex many metal ions, including Cu 2+ , Fe 3+ , Ag + , and Mg 2+ [ 18 , 50 , 51 ].…”

Comprehensive Insights and Advancements in Gel Catalysts for Electrochemical Energy Conversion

“…Although TMCs are efficient electrocatalysts, aggregation during the catalytic process causes crystallization regrowth, ultimately degrading their catalytic efficiency [128,131]. The Liu group utilized an amino-protonated chitosan-metal complex hydrogel, combining metal carbides and N-doped C aerogels, to reduce aggregation while maintaining good electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion (Figure 12) [132]. Furthermore, heteroatoms and defects in the C frameworks influence the redistribution of charge density on metal-based catalysts, consequently improving catalytic activity.…”