Authors
James A Behan, Eric Mates‐Torres, Serban N Stamatin, Carlota Domínguez, Alessandro Iannaci, Karsten Fleischer, Md Khairul Hoque, Tatiana S Perova, Max García‐Melchor, Paula E Colavita
Publication date
2019/11
Journal
Small
Volume
15
Issue
48
Pages
1902081
Description
Metal‐free carbon electrodes with well‐defined composition and smooth topography are prepared via sputter deposition followed by thermal treatment with inert and reactive gases. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy show that three carbons of similar N/C content that differ in N‐site composition are thus prepared: an electrode consisting of almost exclusively graphitic‐N (NG), an electrode with predominantly pyridinic‐N (NP), and one with ≈1:1 NG:NP composition. These materials are used as model systems to investigate the activity of N‐doped carbons in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using voltammetry. Results show that selectivity toward 4e‐reduction of O2 is strongly influenced by the NG/NP site composition, with the material possessing nearly uniform NG/NP composition being the only one yielding a 4e‐reduction. Computational studies on model graphene clusters are …
Total citations
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