1. Morphological Ensembles of N‐Doped Porous Carbon Derived from ZIF‐8/Fe‐Graphene Nanocomposites: Processing and Electrocatalytic Studies.
- Author
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Thomas, Minju, Illathvalappil, Rajith, Kurungot, Sreekumar, Nair, Balagopal N., Mohamed, A. Peer, Anilkumar, Gopinathan M., Yamaguchi, Takeo, and Hareesh, U. S.
- Abstract
Abstract: Engineering the active site density of porous carbon catalysts for enhanced electrocatalytic activity is the current focus in the quest for economically viable fuel cells. Herein, we synthesise ZIF‐8/Fe‐graphene composites for the formation of N and Fe co‐doped carbon with diverse morphologies ranging from tubes and sheets to frameworks of carbon. A synthetic strategy involving the one pot synthesis of ZIF‐8 based composites is accomplished by the reaction of 2‐methylimidazole with mixed Zn/Fe salt solution containing graphene dispersions. The high temperature heat treatment of this precursor mix yielded micro‐meso porous architectures of N, Fe co‐doped carbon with dispersions of Fe/Fe3C. An onset potential value of 0.95 V and a half‐wave potential of 0.82 V coupled with excellent durability and stability in alkaline medium indicated improved electrocatalytic performances over its commercial Pt/C counterpart. The appreciable electrocatalytic properties of the synthesized carbon are attributed to its morphological diversity, hybrid structure, high N doping and its heteroporous characteristics. The dispersed Fe/Fe3C and FeNx sites facilitated enhanced oxygen adsorption and the graphene inclusions in the composite provided retention of high nitrogen contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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