Heteroatom-doped carbon electrocatalysts prepared from marine biomass cellulose nanocrystals and bio-inspired polydopamine for the oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) requires highly effective and stable electrocatalysts to boost the reaction. However, conventionally used Pt-based catalysts are expensive and suffer from long-term stability. The present work provides some interesting insights into using heteroatom-doped carbon electrocatalysts prepared from marine biomass cellulose nanocrystals as potential electrocatalysts for an efficient ORR. The proposed simplistic approach provides a substantial synthetic platform for applying an easily obtained bio-derived highly crystalline cellulose material to energy conversion and storage systems.