am6b10804_si_001.pdf (2.96 MB)
Biomass-Derived Porous Fe3C/Tungsten Carbide/Graphitic Carbon Nanocomposite for Efficient Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Reduction
journal contribution
posted on 2016-11-08, 00:00 authored by Ming Ma, Shijie You, Wei Wang, Guoshuai Liu, Dianpeng Qi, Xiaodong Chen, Jiuhui Qu, Nanqi RenThe
oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) draws an extensive attention in many
applications, and there is a growing interest to develop effective
ORR electrocatalysts. Iron carbide (Fe3C) is a promising
alternative to noble metals (e.g., platinum), but its performances
need further improvement, and the real role of the Fe3C
phase remains unclear. In this study, we synthesize Fe3C/tungsten carbide/graphitic carbon (Fe3C/WC/GC) nanocomposites,
with waste biomass (i.e., pomelo peel) serving as carbon source, using
a facile, one-step carbon thermal-reduction method. The nanocomposite
is characterized by a porous structure consisting of uniform Fe3C nanoparticles encased by graphitic carbon (GC) layers with
highly dispersed nanosized WC. The Fe3C provides the active
sites for ORR, while the graphitic layers and WC nanoparticles can
stibilize the Fe3C surface, preventing it from dissociation
in the electrolyte. The Fe3C/WC/GC nanocomposite is highly
active, selective, and stable toward four-electron ORR in pH-neutral
electrolyte, which results in a 67.82% higher power density than that
of commercial Pt/C and negligible voltage decay during a long-term
phase of a 33 cycle (2200 h) operation of a microbial fuel cell (MFC).
The density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest high activity
for splitting the O–O bond of molecular oxygen on the surface
of Fe3C.
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waste biomassfuel cellOxygen ReductionORR electrocatalystsgraphitic carbonGCperformances needgraphitic layerspH-neutral electrolyteoxygen-reduction reactionuniform Fe 3 C nanoparticlesMFCvoltage decaycarbon sourceiron carbideFe 3 C surfaceFe 3 Cnanosized WCcarbon thermal-reduction methodDFTpower densityEfficient ElectrocatalysisFe 3 C phaseWC nanoparticlesfour-electron ORR
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