Unveiling the origine of activity of carbon-based electrocatalysts and synthesis of highly active abundant-element-based catalysts

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H06850
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Inorganic industrial materials
• Research Institution: National Institute for Materials Science
• Principal Investigator: Sakaushi Ken 国立研究開発法人物質・材料研究機構, エネルギー・環境材料研究拠点, 研究員 (50756484)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 材料科学 / 電極過程 / 化学物理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Highly efficient electrocatalyst based on abundant elements is key for wide spread of renewable energies. This study describes a one-step and simple synthetic strategy to obtain graphitic, nanoporous C-,N-architectures (CNAs) consisted of porous nanosheets with controlled catalytic activity. Those materials were examined on the oxygen/hydrogen electrocatalytic reactions in order to unveil their electrode processes as the multifunctional electrocatalyst, and show that the CNAs can undergo the ORR in H2SO4 solution with the four-electron process together with a high electrocatalytic activity The results show that the combination of porosity and the specific chemical structure of nitrogen is the key for the selectivity of the electrochemical reaction and a high ORR/HER activity using C-, N-based catalysts.

Free Research Field

材料科学