MOF-Templated Assembly Approach for Fe3C Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Bamboo-Like N-Doped CNTs: Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction under Acidic and Basic Conditions

Abstract
Developing high-performance non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) for the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) is of critical importance for sustainable energy conversion. We report a novel NPMC consisting of iron carbide (Fe3C) nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (b-NCNTs), synthesized by a new metal-organic framework (MOF)-templated assembly approach. The electrocatalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity in 0.1 m KOH (0.89 V at −1 mA cm−2) and in 0.5 m H2SO4 (0.73 V at −1 mA cm−2) with a hydrogen peroxide yield of below 1 % in both electrolytes. Due to encapsulation of the Fe3C nanoparticles inside porous b-NCNTs, the reported NPMC retains its high ORR activity after around 70 hours in both alkaline and acidic media.
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Citation
Aijaz, A., Masa, J., Rösler, C., Antoni, H., Fischer, R. A., Schuhmann, W., & Muhler, M. (2017). MOF‐templated assembly approach for Fe3C nanoparticles encapsulated in bamboo‐like N‐doped CNTs: highly efficient oxygen reduction under acidic and basic conditions. Chemistry–A European Journal, 23(50), 12125-12130.https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201701389