Issue 15, 2015

Efficient approach to iron/nitrogen co-doped graphene materials as efficient electrochemical catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

Cyclopentadienyliron (CpFe) groups have been successfully attached on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rG) by a ligand-exchange reaction of ferrocene (Cp2Fe) and rG to produce CpFe-modified reduced graphene oxide (rGFeCp), which exhibits good processability in many organic solvents. In a similar one-pot reaction, graphite was efficiently exfoliated using Cp2Fe as the intercalator to form CpFe-attached free-standing graphene nanosheets (GFeCp, ∼10 layers). Upon pyrolysis and ammonia activation, rGFeCp and GFeCp were converted to iron/nitrogen co-doped porous graphenes, namely, rGFe-800a and GFe-800a, respectively. The obtained rGFe-800a exhibited good electrochemical performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under alkaline conditions (0.1 M KOH) with a low half-wave potential at −0.29 V, a dominant four-electron transfer mechanism (n = 3.5 at −1.0 V), and a maximum diffusion-limiting current density of 4.86 mA cm−2. In addition, rGFe-800a showed excellent methanol tolerance, superior to that of commercial 20% Pt/C. The effect of iron/nitrogen co-doping plays a key role in the good ORR activities of the as-prepared materials.

Graphical abstract: Efficient approach to iron/nitrogen co-doped graphene materials as efficient electrochemical catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jan 2015
Accepted
13 Feb 2015
First published
16 Feb 2015
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015,3, 7767-7772

Author version available

Efficient approach to iron/nitrogen co-doped graphene materials as efficient electrochemical catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Q. Dong, X. Zhuang, Z. Li, B. Li, B. Fang, C. Yang, H. Xie, F. Zhang and X. Feng, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 7767 DOI: 10.1039/C5TA00556F

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