Carbon nanotube encapsulated in nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Publication date: November 2018
Source:Carbon, Volume 139
Author(s): Jin-Cheng Li, Peng-Xiang Hou, Min Cheng, Chang Liu, Hui-Ming Cheng, Minhua Shao
The development of inexpensive and robust bifunctional reversible oxygen electrocatalysts is critical to rechargeable metal-air batteries and regenerative fuel cells. Here we reported a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) conductive network embedded in porous N, P co-doped carbon (SWCNT@NPC) as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. The SWCNT@NPC material showed excellent electrocatalytic activity with an oxygen reduction half-wave potential of 0.85 V and oxygen evolution potential of 1.678 V at 10 mA cm⁻². When used to assemble rechargeable Zn-air batteries, SWCNT@NPC exhibited better catalytic activity as well as durability compared to commercial noble-metal catalysts. In particular, it is demonstrated that mutual promotion between N and P doping induces ultrahigh ORR activity while N doping is identified as the primary active sites for the OER.

Graphical abstract

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