Work

Carbon nanodot precursors enable ultrahigh-loading copper single-atom catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: coordination, which provides under-coordinated and catalytically active sites. The resulting Cu-SAC exhibits promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in alkaline media, delivering a limiting current density comparable to that of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C with a predominant four-electron reduction pathway. Despite this high intrinsic activity, durability tests reveal gradual performance degradation under prolonged electrochemical operation, which is attributed to demetallation and aggregation of copper single atoms into metallic nanoparticles. These results demonstrate the potential of carbon nanodot-based platforms for synthesizing high-loading SACs, while underscoring the critical need to simultaneously control carbon porosity and metal-nitrogen coordination to enhance active-site accessibility and durability.

Source: RSC Advances

DOI: 10.1039/d6ra01912a