Abstract
Porous carbon nitride (PCN) composites are fabricated using a top-down strategy, followed by additions of graphene and CoSx nanoparticles. This subsequently enhances conductivity and catalytic activity of PCN (abbreviated as CoSx@PCN/rGO) and is achieved by one-step sulfuration of PCN/graphene oxides (GO) composite materials. As a result, the as-prepared CoSx@PCN/rGO catalysts display excellent activity and stability toward both oxygen evolution and reduction reactions, surpassing electrocatalytic performance shown by state-of-the-art Pt, RuO2 and other carbon nitrides. Remarkably, the CoSx@PCN/rGO bifunctional activity allows for applications in zinc-air batteries, which show better rechargeability than Pt/C. The enhanced catalytic performance of CoSx@PCN/rGO can primarily be attributed to the highly porous morphology and sufficiently exposed active sites that are favorable for electrocatalytic reactions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1701642 |
| Journal | Advanced Energy Materials |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Online published | 14 Sept 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Jan 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
W.N., Z.L., and K.M. contributed equally to this work. This work was financially supported by the University of Central Florida through a start-up grant (No. 20080741). Y.Y. and W.N. designed the experiments. W.N., Z.L., and K.M. synthesized and characterized the material. L.Z. carried out the TEM observation. Y.L., R.Y., and K.L. performed the XRD and Raman analysis. Y.Y., W.N., and K.M. analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Research Keywords
- carbon nitride
- oxygen evolution reaction
- oxygen reduction reaction
- porous materials
- Zn-air batteries
