3-Dimensional porous N-doped graphene foam as a non-precious catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

Nitrogen-doped graphene materials have been demonstrated as promising alternative catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and metal–air batteries due to their relatively high activity and good stability in alkaline solutions. However, they suffer from low catalytic activity in acid medium. Herein, we have developed an efficient ORR catalyst based on nitrogen doped porous graphene foams (PNGFs) using a hard templating approach. The obtained catalyst exhibits both remarkable ORR activity and long term stability in both alkaline and acidic solutions, and its ORR activity is even better than that of the Pt-based catalyst in alkaline medium. Our results demonstrate a new strategy to rationally design highly efficient graphene-based non-precious catalysts for electrochemical energy devices.