Improving the performance of biomass-based electrocatalysts by means of hot pressing

Abstract

To address the problem of decoupling arising from weak binding of extrinsic agents to biomass during its conversion to electrocatalysts, we put forward the hot-pressing method by which heterogeneous solids become firmly integrated and merged in confined spaces at elevated temperatures and pressures. Hot pressing gives rise to an order of magnitude increase in the nanopore surface area and nearly double the nitrogen content when compared to that in the absence of this method, which improves the efficiencies of both nanopore formation and extrinsic doping and therefore results in a significant enhancement in the performance of alkaline and acidic electrocatalysis of dioxygen reduction. In a wider context, this work provides an alternative route to the effective integration of different components that are distinctly disengaged from one another.