In situ synthesis of Co–B-doped porous carbon through laser thermal reduction for an efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a significant cathode reaction for fuel cells in sustainable energy-conversion applications. The ORR kinetics is slow. Developing cost-effective and highly efficient non-noble-metal catalysts to replace precious platinum-based electrocatalysts is a great challenge. The challenging issues associated with non-noble-metal catalysts are large-scale preparation, limited active sites, and low mass transfer efficiency. Here, a one-step, low-cost, and mass-producible method is presented for synthesizing porous carbon material doped with cobalt nanoparticles (NPs) and boron. This hybrid Co/B–C material is directly converted from boron phenolic resin (BPR) doped with Co₃O₄ NPs via a CO₂ infrared laser. The resulting hybrid Co/B–C catalyst exhibits excellent ORR electrocatalytic performance with an onset potential of 0.893 V (vs. RHE) and a high current density of 4.71 mA cm⁻² in 0.1 M KOH solution. Finally, the method of laser-thermal reduction (LTR) to prepare metal/heteroatom–carbon catalysts provides the possibility for industrial production.