Hollow N-Doped Carbon Spheres with Isolated Cobalt Single Atomic Sites: Superior Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

Yunhu Han, Yang Gang Wang, Wenxing Chen, Ruirui Xu, Lirong Zheng, Jian Zhang, Jun Luo, Rong An Shen, Youqi Zhu, Weng Chon Cheong, Chen Chen, Qing Peng, Dingsheng Wang*, Yadong Li

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

578 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The search for a low-cost, ultrastable, and highly efficient non-precious metal catalyst substitute for Pt in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is extremely urgent, especially in acidic media. Herein, we develop a template-assisted pyrolysis (TAP) method to obtain a unique Co catalyst with isolated single atomic sites anchored on hollow N-doped carbon spheres (ISAS-Co/HNCS). Both the single sites and the hollow substrate endow the catalyst with excellent ORR performance. The half-wave potential in acidic media approaches that of Pt/C. Experiments and density functional theory have verified that isolated Co sites are the source for the high ORR activity because they significantly increase the hydrogenation of OH∗ species. This TAP method is also demonstrated to be effective in preparing a series of ISAS-M/HNCS, which provides opportunities for discovering new catalysts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17269-17272
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume139
Issue number48
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Dec 2017
Externally publishedYes

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