Nitrogen and cobalt-doped porous biocarbon materials derived from corn stover as efficient electrocatalysts for aluminum-air batteries

Zhenning Liu, Zhiyuan Li, Jian Ma, Xu Dong, Wen Ku, Mi Wang, Hang Sun, Song Liang and Guolong Lu

Energy, 2018, vol. 162, issue C, 453-459

Abstract: Development of convenient, economic and large scale catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium is of great significance to practical applications of aluminum-air batteries. Herein, a corn-stover-derived, nitrogen and cobalt co-doped porous biocarbon material has been prepared and utilized as ORR catalysts in aluminum-air batteries. The resultant product (NCAC-Co) exhibits an interconnected hierarchical porous structure with a high specific surface area (1877.3 m2 g−1). The electrocatalytic characterization of NCAC-Co reveals a half-wave potential (0.743 V vs. RHE) only slightly lower than that of commercial Pt/C (0.793 V vs. RHE) in alkaline medium. Moreover, NCAC-Co also demonstrates the mechanism of 4-electron oxygen reduction (n = 3.87) and outstanding durability. The excellent ORR performance of NCAC-Co can be attributed to the presence of pyridinic N, graphitic N and Co nanoparticles as well as the interconnected hierarchical porous structure. More importantly, NCAC-Co also delivers a good behavior when applied in aluminum-air batteries. The work presented herein shows the NCAC-Co derived from corn stover holds good promise to be an alternative of economic and large scale catalysts for metal-air batteries.

Keywords: Electrocatalyst; Oxygen reduction reaction; Aluminum-air battery; Biomass; Porous carbon materials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:162:y:2018:i:c:p:453-459

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.07.175

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