Mixed Copper/Copper‐Oxide Anchored Mesoporous Fullerene Nanohybrids as Superior Electrocatalysts toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Developing a highly active, stable, and efficient non‐noble metal‐free functional electrocatalyst to supplant the benchmark Pt/C‐based catalysts in practical fuel cell applications remains a stupendous challenge. A rational strategy is developed to directly anchor highly active and dispersed copper...

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Published in:Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2020-03, Vol.16 (12), p.e1903937-n/a
Main Authors: Saianand, Gopalan, Gopalan, Anantha‐Iyengar, Lee, Jun‐Cheol, Sathish, CI, Gopalakrishnan, Kothandam, Unni, Gautam Eswaran, Shanbhag, Dhanush, Dasireddy, Venkata D. B. C., Yi, Jiabao, Xi, Shibo, Al‐Muhtaseb, Ala'a H., Vinu, Ajayan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysts
Copper
Copper oxides
Crossovers
Cu/Cu2O nanoparticles
electrocatalysis
Electrocatalysts
Electron transfer
Fuel cells
Fullerenes
Mass transfer
mesoporous fullerenes
nanohybrids
Nanoparticles
Nanotechnology
Noble metals
oxygen reduction reaction
Oxygen reduction reactions
Selectivity
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Summary:Developing a highly active, stable, and efficient non‐noble metal‐free functional electrocatalyst to supplant the benchmark Pt/C‐based catalysts in practical fuel cell applications remains a stupendous challenge. A rational strategy is developed to directly anchor highly active and dispersed copper (Cu) nanospecies on mesoporous fullerenes (referred to as Cu‐MFC60) toward enhancing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis. The preparation of Cu‐MFC60 involves i) the synthesis of ordered MFC60 via the prevalent nanohard templating technique and ii) the postfunctionalization of MFC60 with finely distributed Cu nanospecies through incipient wet impregnation. The concurrence of Cu and cuprous oxide nanoparticles in the as‐developed Cu‐MFC60 samples through relevant material characterizations is affirmed. The optimized ORR catalyst, Cu(15%)‐MFC60, exhibits superior electrocatalytic ORR characteristics with an onset potential of 0.860 vs reversible hydrogen electrode, diffusion‐limiting current density (−5.183 mA cm−2), improved stability, and tolerance to methanol crossover along with a high selectivity (four‐electron transfer). This enhanced ORR performance can be attributed to the rapid mass transfer and abundant active sites owing to the synergistic coupling effects arising from the mixed copper nanospecies and the fullerene framework. The rational design and development of highly active metallic copper/copper‐oxide decorated mesoporous fullerene (Cu‐MFC60) nanohybrids for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are demonstrated. Among the investigated Cu‐based ORR catalysts, Cu‐MFC60 with 15% Cu exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity with a high diffusion‐limiting current density, enhanced durability, and remarkable tolerance to methanol crossover with a high selectivity.
ISSN:1613-6810
1613-6829
DOI:10.1002/smll.201903937