SCI和EI收录∣中国化工学会会刊

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (2): 106-113.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2022.03.007

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial-five coordination promotes the high efficiency of CoN4 moiety in graphene-based bilayer for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis: A density functional theory study

Libing Yu1, Qiuyan Huang1, Jing Wu1, Erhong Song2, Beibei Xiao1   

  1. 1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China;
    2. The State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine, Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
  • Received:2021-12-27 Revised:2022-03-13 Online:2023-05-11 Published:2023-02-28
  • Contact: Beibei Xiao,E-mail:xiaobb11@mails.jlu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    We acknowledge the supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51701152, 21503097, 51631004, 21806023, 51702345) and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX20_3160).

Spatial-five coordination promotes the high efficiency of CoN4 moiety in graphene-based bilayer for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis: A density functional theory study

Libing Yu1, Qiuyan Huang1, Jing Wu1, Erhong Song2, Beibei Xiao1   

  1. 1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China;
    2. The State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine, Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
  • 通讯作者: Beibei Xiao,E-mail:xiaobb11@mails.jlu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    We acknowledge the supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51701152, 21503097, 51631004, 21806023, 51702345) and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX20_3160).

Abstract: The searching of highly efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted particular attention. In this work, we construct the graphene-based bilayers BG/X that consists by the CoN4 embedded graphene as the upper layer and the X modified graphene as the bottom layer (X = Si, P, S). The interfacial bonding between CoN4 site and the X dopant is spontaneously formed due to the strong pd hybridization, which changes the Co ligand from the planar-four N4 coordination into spatial-five N4 + X one. The additive glue atom weakens too strong adsorptions of the ORR intermediates on CoN4 site and thereby improves the ORR activities in comparison with the monolayer counterpart. From the free energy profiles, the overpotentials η are 0.47, 0.49 and 0.45 V for BG/Sia, BG/Pa and BG/Sa, respectively, being comparable to that of state-of-the-art Pt material. Besides, the kinetic barriers for the bilayers are less than 0.75 eV, an indicative of the room temperature activity. Furthermore, the combination of thermodynamic and kinetic analysis ensures the preference of 4e--OOH associative mechanism over 2e--H2O2 mechanism, being beneficial for membrane stability against the H2O2 corrosion. Therefore, the graphene-based bilayers deliver the high efficiencies for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis. Therefore, the interfacial bonding in the graphene-based bilayers provides an interesting strategy to suppress the poisoning phenomenon for the material design from atom scale.

Key words: Catalysts, Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), Graphene, Thermodynamic, Kinetic

摘要: The searching of highly efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted particular attention. In this work, we construct the graphene-based bilayers BG/X that consists by the CoN4 embedded graphene as the upper layer and the X modified graphene as the bottom layer (X = Si, P, S). The interfacial bonding between CoN4 site and the X dopant is spontaneously formed due to the strong pd hybridization, which changes the Co ligand from the planar-four N4 coordination into spatial-five N4 + X one. The additive glue atom weakens too strong adsorptions of the ORR intermediates on CoN4 site and thereby improves the ORR activities in comparison with the monolayer counterpart. From the free energy profiles, the overpotentials η are 0.47, 0.49 and 0.45 V for BG/Sia, BG/Pa and BG/Sa, respectively, being comparable to that of state-of-the-art Pt material. Besides, the kinetic barriers for the bilayers are less than 0.75 eV, an indicative of the room temperature activity. Furthermore, the combination of thermodynamic and kinetic analysis ensures the preference of 4e--OOH associative mechanism over 2e--H2O2 mechanism, being beneficial for membrane stability against the H2O2 corrosion. Therefore, the graphene-based bilayers deliver the high efficiencies for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis. Therefore, the interfacial bonding in the graphene-based bilayers provides an interesting strategy to suppress the poisoning phenomenon for the material design from atom scale.

关键词: Catalysts, Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), Graphene, Thermodynamic, Kinetic