Work

Atomically dispersed Cu–N–C catalysts with carbon defects for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Regulating the local microenvironment of metal centers represents an effective yet challenging approach to enhance the catalytic performance of atomically dispersed transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M–N–C) catalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, atomically dispersed Cu–N–C catalysts featuring with adjustable carbon vacancies/defects concentrations (Cu–N–C V –X) are fabricated using a simple molten-salt-assisted pyrolysis strategy. The optimized catalyst (Cu–N–C V -1000) exhibits superior ORR catalytic performance with a half-wave potential ( E 1/2 ) of 0.89 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a turnover frequency ( TOF ) of 5.01 e site -1 s −1 at 0.85 V, surpassing Pt/C and most recently reported single-atom catalysts. Theoretical calculations confirm that defects adjacent to Cu–N 3 site downshift the d-band center of active sites, facilitating the desorption of *OH intermediate and thereby significantly enhancing the ORR kinetics. Consequently, the Cu–N–C V -1000-based zinc-air battery (ZAB) delivers a peak power density of 175.0 mW cm −2 along with a high discharge specific capacity of 819.4 mA g -1 Zn . This work confirms that the deliberate creation of suitable defects is an effective approach to optimize the intrinsic ORR activity of atomic M–N x sites, providing new insights into the rational design of high-performance catalysts for practical metal-air batteries.

Source: Applied Surface Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.165205

Authors: Hanjun Zhang, Jing Chen, Yuxin Shi, Yaoyue Yang, Xiaole Jiang

Institution: Southwest Minzu University

Language: English

Topic: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,930