Cobalt-Containing Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Materials Derived from Saccharides as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The development of non-precious metal electrocatalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for the commercialisation polymer electrolyte fuel cells. In this work, cobalt-containing nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials were prepared by a pyrolysis mixtures saccharides, cobalt nitrate and dicyandiamide, which acts as precursor reactive nitride template nitrogen source. rotating disk electrode (RDE) experiments in 0.1 M KOH solution showed that glucose-derived material with optimised content had excellent ORR activity, was comparable to 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. addition, catalyst exhibited high tolerance methanol, good stability short-time potential cycling test low peroxide yield. derived from xylan, xylose cyclodextrin displayed similar activities, indicating various saccharides can be used inexpensive sustainable precursors synthesise active anion exchange membrane