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Title: Highly Active and Stable Graphene Tubes Decorated with FeCoNi Alloy Nanoparticles via a Template-Free Graphitization for Bifunctional Oxygen Reduction and Evolution

Journal Article · · Advanced Energy Materials
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States)
  2. Giner Inc, Newton, MA (United States)
  3. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States)

Development of highly active and stable bifunctional oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts from earth–abundant elements remains a grand challenge for highly demanded reversible fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Carbon catalysts have many advantages over others due to their low cost, excellent electrical conductivity, high surface area, and easy functionalization. However, they typically cannot withstand the highly oxidative OER environment. Here, a new class of bifunctional electrocatalyst is reported, consisting of ultralarge sized nitrogen doped graphene tubes (N–GTs) (>500 nm) decorated with FeCoNi alloy particles. These tubes are prepared from an inexpensive precursor, dicyandiamide, via a template–free graphitization process. The ORR/OER activity and the stability of these graphene tube catalysts depend strongly on the transition metal precursors. The best performing FeCoNi–derived N–GT catalyst exhibits excellent ORR and OER activity along with adequate electrochemical durability over a wide potential window (0–1.9 V) in alkaline media. Here, the measured OER current is solely due to desirable O2 evolution, rather than carbon oxidation. Extensive electrochemical and physical characterization indicated that high graphitization degree, thicker tube walls, proper nitrogen doping, and presence of FeCoNi alloy particles are vital for high bifunctional activity and electrochemical durability of tubular carbon catalysts.

Research Organization:
Giner, Inc., Newton, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Fuel Cell Technologies Office; USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0006960
OSTI ID:
1533063
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1464414
Journal Information:
Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 6, Issue 22; ISSN 1614-6832
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 210 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Hierarchical Porous Ni 3 S 4 with Enriched High‐Valence Ni Sites as a Robust Electrocatalyst for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction journal February 2019
Hierarchically Porous Multimetal‐Based Carbon Nanorod Hybrid as an Efficient Oxygen Catalyst for Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries journal December 2019
Bifunctional Transition Metal Hydroxysulfides: Room-Temperature Sulfurization and Their Applications in Zn-Air Batteries journal July 2017
Cytomembrane-Structure-Inspired Active Ni-N-O Interface for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction journal August 2018
A Ternary Ni 46 Co 40 Fe 14 Nanoalloy-Based Oxygen Electrocatalyst for Highly Efficient Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries journal September 2018
Supersonic Cold Spraying for Energy and Environmental Applications: One‐Step Scalable Coating Technology for Advanced Micro‐ and Nanotextured Materials journal November 2019
A Perovskite Nanorod as Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting journal December 2016
Design of Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Reduction/Evolution Electrocatalyst: Recent Advances and Perspectives journal July 2017
Engineering Local Coordination Environments of Atomically Dispersed and Heteroatom‐Coordinated Single Metal Site Electrocatalysts for Clean Energy‐Conversion journal November 2019
A Triphasic Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalyst with Tunable and Synergetic Interfacial Structure for Rechargeable Zn‐Air Batteries journal December 2019
Nanostructured Carbon Based Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media journal October 2019
Recent Progress in Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting under Acidic Conditions journal May 2019
Self‐Supported ZIF‐Derived Co 3 O 4 Nanoparticles‐Decorated Porous N‐Doped Carbon Fibers as Oxygen Reduction Catalyst journal April 2019
Engineering Favorable Morphology and Structure of Fe-N-C Oxygen-Reduction Catalysts through Tuning of Nitrogen/Carbon Precursors journal January 2017
A 2D NiFe Bimetallic Metal–Organic Frameworks for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis journal January 2019
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Mesoporous, nitrogen-doped, graphitized carbon nanosheets embedded with cobalt nanoparticles for efficient oxygen electroreduction journal November 2018
Current challenge and perspective of PGM-free cathode catalysts for PEM fuel cells journal June 2017
In Situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Studies of Nanoscale Electrocatalysts journal June 2019
Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction in PEM Fuel Cells: Self-Template Synthesis Approach to Enhancing Catalytic Activity and Stability journal March 2019
Co–VN encapsulated in bamboo-like N-doped carbon nanotubes for ultrahigh-stability of oxygen reduction reaction journal January 2018
Hollow FeNi-based hybrid polyhedron derived from unique sulfur-modulating coordinated transition bimetal complexes for efficient oxygen evolution reactions journal January 2017
Innovation and challenges in materials design for flexible rechargeable batteries: from 1D to 3D journal January 2018
Enriched graphitic N in nitrogen-doped graphene as a superior metal-free electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction journal January 2018
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Mesoporous La 0.6 Ca 0.4 CoO 3 perovskites with large surface areas as stable air electrodes for rechargeable Zn–air batteries journal January 2018
A comprehensive analysis and rational designing of efficient Fe-based oxygen electrocatalysts for metal–air batteries journal January 2018
Apically Co-nanoparticles-wrapped nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes from a single-source MOF for efficient oxygen reduction journal January 2018
Design strategies for developing non-precious metal based bi-functional catalysts for alkaline electrolyte based zinc–air batteries journal January 2019
Nanostructured carbons containing FeNi/NiFe 2 O 4 supported over N-doped carbon nanofibers for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions journal January 2019
Large-diameter and heteroatom-doped graphene nanotubes decorated with transition metals as carbon hosts for lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2019
Electronic reconfiguration of Co 2 P induced by Cu doping enhancing oxygen reduction reaction activity in zinc–air batteries journal January 2019
Ternary MnO/CoMn alloy@N-doped graphitic composites derived from a bi-metallic pigment as bi-functional electrocatalysts journal January 2019
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Platinum Nanoparticle Inclusion into a Carbonized Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity: Electrochemical Characteristics of a Catalyst for Electroless Hydrogen Peroxide Production journal July 2018
Functional Electrocatalysts Derived from Prussian Blue and its Analogues for Metal‐Air Batteries: Progress and Prospects journal February 2019
Stable and Efficient Nitrogen-Containing Carbon-Based Electrocatalysts for Reactions in Energy-Conversion Systems journal June 2018
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