Effects of the induced micro- and meso-porosity on the single site density and turn over frequency of Fe-N-C carbon electrodes for the oxygen reduction reaction
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Fe-N-C have emerged as one of the best non-PGM alternatives to Pt/C catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of O2 in fuel cells. In this work, we explore the effect of steam and CO2 treatments at high temperatures on the nanometric porous structure of a commercial carbon black. Using those support materials, we synthesize different Fe-N-C catalysts to achieve a better understanding on the role of micro- and mesopores of the support towards catalytic site formation and site activity. Different time and temperature of treatments result in an almost linear increment of surface area and microporous volume, which allows better nitrogen functionalization. Site density evaluation, performed using a recently described NO-stripping technique, showed an increase in site density and TOF which correlates well with the morphology variation. The percentage of active iron increases from 2.65 % to 14.74 % in activated catalysts confirming a better access of electrolyte to the iron sites.
Date Issued
2021-08
Date Acceptance
2021-02-13
Citation
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2021, 291, pp.1-14
ISSN
0926-3373
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Start Page
1
End Page
14
Journal / Book Title
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume
291
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Sponsor
Commission of the European Communities
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926337321001946?via%3Dihub
Grant Number
779366
Subjects
Physical Chemistry
0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
0904 Chemical Engineering
0907 Environmental Engineering
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
120068
Date Publish Online
2021-02-28