The electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical to energy conversion (e.g., fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and dye-sensitized solar cells). However, cathodic ORR occurs very slowly without a catalyst. Although platinum has been widely used as the ORR catalysts for energy conversion, its high cost and limited reserve 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 a class of heteroatom-doped carbon nanomaterials, which, as metal-free alternative catalysts to replace platinum, could dramatically reduce the cost and increase the energy conversion efficiency. In this talk, we will summarize some of our work on the metal-free ORR catalysts based on carbon nanomaterials, along with an overview on the recent developments in this exciting field.

Carbon-based metal-free catalysts for energy conversion

249th National Meeting (2015)

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