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Encapsulated MnO in N-do** carbon nanofibers as efficient ORR electrocatalysts

氮掺杂碳纤维包覆一氧化锰作为高效氧还原电催化剂

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Abstract

Development of cheap, abundant and noble-metal-free materials as high efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts is crucial for future energy storage system. Here, one-dimensional (1D) MnO N-doped carbon nanofibers (MnO-NCNFs) were successfully developed by electrospinning combined with high temperature pyrolysis. The MnO-NCNFs exhibit promising electrochemical performance, methanol tolerance, and durability in alkaline medium. The outstanding electrocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to several issues. First of all, the uniform 1D fiber structure and the conductive network could facilitate the electron transport. Besides, the introduction of Mn into the precursor can catalyze the transformation of amorphous carbon to graphite carbon, while the improved graphitization means better conductivity, beneficial for the enhancement of catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Furthermore, the porous structure and high surface area can effectively decrease the mass transport resistance and increase the exposed ORR active sites, thus improve utilization efficiency and raise the quantity of exposed ORR active sites. The synergistic effect of MnO and NCNFs matrix, which enhances charge transfer, adsorbent transport, and delivers efficiency in the electrolyte solution, ensures the high ORR performance of MnO-NCNFs.

摘要

廉价、 储量丰富的非贵金属材料作为高效氧还原电催化剂是未来能量存储系统实际应用的关键. 基于此, 我们通过静电纺丝法并结合相应热处理制备了一维氮掺杂碳纳米纤维包覆一氧化锰(MnO-NCNFs). 该材料在碱性体系中表现出良好的电化学性能, 耐甲醇腐蚀性和稳定性. 其优异的电催化活性主要归结于以下几点: (1) 均一的一维纤维结构和导电网络能够促进反应过程中快速的电子转移; (2) 过渡金属锰的引入能够促进无定型碳向石墨碳的转变, 同时石墨化程度的提高意味着更好的导电性, 有利于氧还原活性的提高; (3) 多孔结构和高比表面积能够有效降低传质阻力并提高暴露的氧还原活性位点数量, 进而提高物质利用效率.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21671096 and 21603094), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2016A030310376), Shenzhen Key Laboratory Project (ZDSYS201603311013489), the Natural Science Foundation of Shenzhen (JCYJ20150630145302231 and JCYJ20150331101823677), and the Undergraduate Training Program for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Guangdong (2016S10).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Chaoqun Shang  (商超群), Mingyang Yang  (杨明阳), Zhenyu Wang  (王振宇), Minchan Li  (**泯婵), Meng Liu  (刘猛), Jian Zhu  (朱剑), Yinggang Zhu  (朱迎港), Liangjun Zhou  (周亮君), Hua Cheng  (程化) & Zhouguang Lu  (卢周广)

  2. School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Chaoqun Shang  (商超群), Liangjun Zhou  (周亮君) & **ngzhong Zhao  (赵兴中)

  3. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Jian Zhu  (朱剑), Yingying Gu  (古映莹) & Yougen Tang  (唐有根)

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  1. Chaoqun Shang  (商超群)
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  11. Yougen Tang  (唐有根)
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  12. **ngzhong Zhao  (赵兴中)
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  13. Zhouguang Lu  (卢周广)
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Correspondence to Zhouguang Lu  (卢周广).

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Chaoqun Shang received his bachelor’s degree from Qingdao University of Science and Technology in 2009, master’s degree from Qingdao University of Science and Technology in 2012, and PhD degree from Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015. He is currently a Postdoc in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China. His current research interests mainly focus on designing high-performance electrode materials for energy storage systems.

Mingyang Yang received his bachelor’s degree from Henan Normal University in 2012, master’s degree from the Central South University in 2015. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China. His current research interests mainly focus on water splitting and lithium sulfur batteries.

Zhouguang Lu is now an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, South University of Science and Technology of China. He obtained his bachelor’s from the Central South University in 2001 and got his master’s degree under the joint master program between Tsinghua University and Central South University in 2004, and PhD from City University of Hong Kong in 2009. He is the recipient of Fulbright Scholarship of USA Government in 2008–2009 and the Overseas High-Caliber Personnel (Level B) of Shenzhen Government in 2013. His research mainly covers the design and synthesis of nanostructures and their application in energy storage and conversion with focus on lithium/sodium ion batteries, and lithium-air batteries. He has authored for more than 100 peer-review papers with total citations of more than 2600 and H-index of 30.

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Shang, C., Yang, M., Wang, Z. et al. Encapsulated MnO in N-do** carbon nanofibers as efficient ORR electrocatalysts. Sci. China Mater. 60, 937–946 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-017-9103-1

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