Recent advances in carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

• Published in: Chinese chemical letters Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 626 - 634
• Main Authors: Chen, Lulu, Xu, Xiaolong, Yang, Wenxiu, Jia, Jianbo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-03-2020; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China%University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China%Department of Materials Science&Engineering&Department of Energy and Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China%State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China; School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
• Subjects: Carbon materials; Fuel cells; Oxygen reduction reaction; Single atom catalysts; Transition metal catalysts; Transition metal catalysts; Oxygen reduction reaction; Carbon materials; Fuel cells; Single atom catalysts
• ISSN: 1001-8417; 1878-5964
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2019.08.008

This review focuses on the recent progress about carbon-based ORR catalysts including non-metal doped carbon materials, transition metal-nitrogen-carbon species, transition metal carbides/carbon, single atom catalysts, and other carbon hybrids. And we further infer that the excellent ORR performances can be achieved by the balance of geometric and electronic structures of catalysts such as conductivity, surface area, hierarchical porous structure, defect and doping effect.
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Fuel cells are one of the most promising clean energy devices to substitute for fossil fuel in the future to alleviate energy crisis and environmental pollution. As the key reaction on the cathode in the fuel cells, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) still requires efficient noble metal catalysts such as the commercial Pt/C to boost the reaction for its sluggish kinetics. Therefore, it is critical to design earth-abundant carbon-based catalysts with high efficiency and long-term stability to replace the noble metal-based catalysts. This review focuses on the recent progress about carbon-based ORR catalysts including non-metal doped carbon materials, transition metal-nitrogen-carbon species, transition metal carbides/carbon, single atom catalysts, and other carbon hybrids. And we further infer that the excellent ORR performances can be achieved by the balance of geometric and electronic structures of catalysts such as conductivity, surface area, hierarchical porous structure, defect and doping effect. Additionally, the perspective development trend is also proposed to guide the rational designation of carbon-based catalysts for ORR and even extend to other energy storage and conversion fields in the future.