Synergistic Tailoring Electronic Arrangement of Carbon Catalyst Through Co-Doping of Nitrogen and Fluorine for the Acidic Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract

The synthesis of non-metal carbon catalyst with high catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic media is a great challenge in the field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). In this research, N- and F- codoped carbon catalyst with high performance was synthesized from ZIF-8 and NH4F, which are easily prepared structure and common chemical, respectively. The prepared F/N/C catalyst exhibited an onset potential of 0.94 V (vs. RHE) and a half-wave potential of 0.65 V in 0.1 M HClO4 solution. It further proved that N- and F- codoping could synergistically enhance the catalytic activity of carbon catalysts through tailoring the electronic arrangement of carbon catalysts. The encouraging catalytic performance of the F/N/C catalyst as a non-metal carbon catalyst of PEMFC will intrigue much more focus on the research of the synergistic catalysis effect of F- and N- doping in the carbon.

Keywords: oxygen reduction reaction, Tafel slope, F-doped, synergistic effect