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The effect of carbon support on the oxygen reduction activity and durability of single-atom iron catalysts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2018

Jin-Cheng Li Open the ORCID record for Jin-Cheng Li [Opens in a new window] ,
Dai-Ming Tang ,
Peng-Xiang Hou ,
Guo-Xian Li ,
Min Cheng ,
Chang Liu  and
Hui-Ming Cheng
Jin-Cheng Li
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou 511458, PR China
Dai-Ming Tang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China
Peng-Xiang Hou*
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China
Guo-Xian Li
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China
Min Cheng
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China
Chang Liu*
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China
Hui-Ming Cheng
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 5108055, PR China
*
Address all correspondence to Chang Liu and Peng-Xiang Hou at cliu@imr.ac.cn and pxhou@imr.ac.cn
Address all correspondence to Chang Liu and Peng-Xiang Hou at cliu@imr.ac.cn and pxhou@imr.ac.cn
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Abstract

Owing to lack of a definitive correlation between carbon supports and catalytic activity of single-atom Fe-active sites, rational design and preparation of single-atom Fe catalysts have so far been elusive. Herein we designed and prepared one-dimensional core–shell nanostructured single-atom Fe catalysts, in which carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes with different crystallinities and electrical conductivities were used as supports to host single-atom Fe-active sites. It was found that the carbon supports with higher electrical conductivity accelerate charge transfer and enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of single-atom Fe-active sites as well as the ORR durability of the final catalyst.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , September 2018 , pp. 1158 - 1166
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

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