The electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical to energy conversion (e.g., fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and dye-sensitized solar cells). Cathodic ORR is a rate-limiting factor in electricity production and it occurs very slowly without a catalyst. Although platinum has been widely used as the ORR catalysts for energy conversion, its high cost and limited reserves in nature have been shown to be the major 'showstopper' to mass market energy conversion devices for commercial applications.Along with the recent intensive research efforts in reducing or replacing Pt-based electrocatalysts, we have found that certain carbon nanomaterials could act as effective metal-free ORR electrocatalysts to replace Pt electrode in fuel cells. These carbon-based, metal-free ORR catalysts exhibited a high electrocatalytic activity for ORR with an excellent long-term operation stability and free from the crossover/CO-poisoning effect in fuel cells. Recently, we further demonstrated that they are also electrocatalytically active for other energy conversion processes. In this talk, I will summarize our work on the design and development of carbon-based, metal-free ORR electrocatalysts for fuel cells. Their potential applications in other energy-related devices will also be discussed, along with some challenges and perspectives in these exciting areas.

Graphitic carbon nanomaterials as metal-free catalysts for energy conversion

246th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.