Heteroatom doped carbon materials are classified as one of the most promising types of catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to high catalytic performance, excellent durability and low cost. This can be generally ascribed to the structural distortion and the changes of charge density induced by the introduction of heteroatom. Here nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene was successfully prepared by annealing carbon ink of graphene oxide and ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, at 900? in nitrogen atmosphere. The ionic liquid was adsorbed on the surface of graphene oxide homogeneously by electrostatic attraction and serves as nitrogen and boron sources during the subsequent annealing process. The nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene were thoroughly characterized by SEM, EDX, TEM and XPS. Electrochemical tests reveal that the as-prepared materials possess excellent electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction including high current density and long term durability. The beneficial properties are attributed to the superior conductivity and large surface area of graphene and the synergistic effect of nitrogen and boron co-doping.

Nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene as efficient catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

248th National Meeting (2014)

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