Heteroatom-Doped Carbon-Based Catalysts Synthesized through a "Cook-Off" Process for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The development of efficient and low-cost non-metallic catalysts is of great significance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Heteroatom-doped carbon-based catalysts are one of the popular candidates, although their preparation method is still under exploration. In this work, single (CS)-, double (NCS)-, and triple (NBCS)-heteroatom-doped carbon-based catalysts were successfully prepared by a "cook-off" process. The morphology, elemental composition, and bonding structure of the catalysts were investigated by SEM, TEM, Raman spectra, BET, and XPS. ORR catalytic performance measurements suggested an activity trend of CS < NCS < NBCS, and NBCS demonstrated better methanol resistance and slightly higher stability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst, as evaluated with both rotating disk electrode (RDE) and rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) systems. The mechanism for the promoted performance was also proposed based on the conductivity of the catalysts. In this paper, the heteroatoms N, B, and S were co-doped into activated carbon using a simple, fast, and efficient preparation method with high electrical conductivity and also increased active sites, showing high electrocatalytic activity and good stability. This work provides a new approach to preparing highly active non-Pt catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions.