Issue 2, 2017

Polypyrrole-assisted oxygen electrocatalysis on perovskite oxides

Abstract

Nitrogen-containing electrocatalysts, such as metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) composites and nitrogen-doped carbons, are known to exhibit high activities for an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Moreover, even if the mechanism by which nitrogen improves the activities is not completely understood, a strong electronic interaction between nitrogen and active sites has been found in these composites. Herein, we demonstrate a case in which nitrogen improves the electroactivity, but in the absence of a strong interaction with other components. The overpotentials of the ORR and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on perovskite oxide catalysts were significantly reduced simply by mixing the catalyst particles with polypyrrole/carbon composites (pPy/C). Any strong interactions between pPy (a nitrogen-containing compound) and active sites of the catalysts are not confirmed. A scenario based on the sequential task allocation between pPy and oxide catalysts for the ORR was proposed: (1) molecular oxygen is incorporated into pPy as a form of superoxide (pPy+O2), (2) the superoxide is transferred to the active sites of perovskite catalysts, and (3) the superoxide is completely reduced along the 4e ORR process.

Graphical abstract: Polypyrrole-assisted oxygen electrocatalysis on perovskite oxides

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
01 Dec 2016
Accepted
21 Dec 2016
First published
21 Dec 2016

Energy Environ. Sci., 2017,10, 523-527

Polypyrrole-assisted oxygen electrocatalysis on perovskite oxides

D. Lee, S. H. Kim, S. H. Joo, H. Ji, H. Tavassol, Y. Jeon, S. Choi, M. Lee, C. Kim, S. K. Kwak, G. Kim and H. Song, Energy Environ. Sci., 2017, 10, 523 DOI: 10.1039/C6EE03501A

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