Issue 12, 2021

Facile synthesis of CNT interconnected PVP-ZIF-8 derived hierarchically porous Zn/N co-doped carbon frameworks for oxygen reduction

Abstract

In this work, a strategy has been adopted to construct an architecture through the coordination of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and a monodisperse zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8), which was entwined by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) firstly, followed by a pyrolysis process to obtain the hybrid catalyst. The meticulous design of the hybrid material using CNTs to interconnect the PVP assisted ZIF-8 derived porous carbon frameworks together produces a hierarchical pore structure and dual-heteroatom (Zn/N) doping (Zn–N/PC@CNT). Without further acid treatment, the hybrid material prepared after pyrolysis at 900 °C (PVP-ZIF-8@CNT-900) has been demonstrated as an efficient non-precious metal catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with its superior stability compared to the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media. The catalyst shows better performance towards the ORR, with its more positive onset and half-wave potentials (Eonset = 0.960 V vs. RHE and E1/2 = 0.795 V vs. RHE) than the counterpart system which is free of both CNT and PVP. The high performance of the hybrid catalyst can be ascribed to the co-existence of dual-active sites with hierarchical pore structures originating from the synergistic effects between Zn/N co-doped porous carbon and CNTs. We further demonstrated the single-cell performance by using the homemade system as the cathode catalyst for the Alkaline Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (AEMFC) system, which showed a maximum power density of 45 mW cm−2 compared to 60 mW cm−2 obtained from the 40 wt% Pt/C catalyst.

Graphical abstract: Facile synthesis of CNT interconnected PVP-ZIF-8 derived hierarchically porous Zn/N co-doped carbon frameworks for oxygen reduction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Dec. 2020
Accepted
26 Febr. 2021
First published
26 Febr. 2021

Nanoscale, 2021,13, 6248-6258

Facile synthesis of CNT interconnected PVP-ZIF-8 derived hierarchically porous Zn/N co-doped carbon frameworks for oxygen reduction

G. Singla, S. N. Bhange, M. Mahajan and S. Kurungot, Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 6248 DOI: 10.1039/D0NR09156A

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