Work

N-doped carbon nanotubes engineered with graphdiyne toward enhanced oxygen reduction reaction

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have attracted significant attention due to their stability and low-cost. However, compared to traditional platinum-based catalysts, their activity still requires enhancement. Herein, we explored an approach to modulate the activity of metal-free ORR catalysts by the in situ growth of graphdiyne (GDY) on N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNT). The in situ growth of GDY can effectively protect the catalysts during the reaction process. GDY promotes charge transfer at the hetero-interface, thereby regulating the electron density around the ORR active sites. Consequently the oxygen adsorption and activation of the NCNT/GDY heterostructure (NCNT@GDY) are improved, leading to enhanced catalytic activity and four-electron selectivity of the heterostructure. This work demonstrates that the preparation of heterogeneous structures can effectively modulate the catalytic activity of catalysts, an approach that can be extended to the design of other ORR catalysts.

Source: Solid State Sciences

DOI: 10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2025.108082

Authors: Mingsheng Li, Pengfei Jie, Tao Wang, Tao Wang, Fei Wang, Wenlong Yang

Institutions: Shandong University, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Sichuan University

Language: English

Topic: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,070

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong Province, Taishan Scholar Project of Shandong Province