Abstract
Polypyrrole (PPy) coatings inside the microporosity of an activated carbon fiber (ACF) were synthesized by chemical polymerization obtaining ACF-PPy composites. N-doped ACFs were prepared by carbonization of the ACF-PPy composites at two temperatures (500 and 800 °C). All the samples were characterized using different techniques (XPS, SEM, elemental analysis, physical adsorption of N2, cyclic voltammetry, etc.). The electrochemical characterization in alkaline medium shows that the N-doped ACFs have a similar specific capacitance than the pristine ACF, in spite of the lower specific surface area. The materials were used as electrodes in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium using the rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) tests. It was found that the N-doped ACF material carbonized at 800 °C has higher catalytic activity than the pristine ACF. The investigation also indicates that the ORR process on the N-doped ACF materials proceeds through an indirect two-electron pathway.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
W. Vielstich, A. Lamm, H.A. Gasteiger, H. Yokokawa, Handbook of fuel cells: fundamentals, technology, and applications (Wiley, 2003)
Y. Li, H. Dai, Recent advances in zinc–air batteries. Chem. Soc. Rev. 43(15), 5257–5275 (2014)
M. Klingele, C. Van Pham, A. Fischer, S. Thiele, Fuel. Cells 16, 522 (2016)
M.A. Rahman, X. Wang, C. Wen, J. Electrochem. Soc. 160, 1759 (2013)
P. Kichambare, S. Rodrigues, J. Kumar, Mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon-glass ceramic cathodes for solid-state lithium–oxygen batteries. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 4(1), 49–52 (2012)
L. Dai, Y. Xue, L. Qu, H.J. Choi, J.B. Baek, Metal-free catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction. Chem. Rev. 115(11), 4823–4892 (2015)
A. Sarapuu, E. Kibena-Põldsepp, M. Borghei, K. Tammeveski, Electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction on heteroatom-doped nanocarbons and transition metal–nitrogen–carbon catalysts for alkaline membrane fuel cells. J. Mater. Chem. A 6(3), 776–804 (2018)
D.-W. Wang, D. Su, Heterogeneous nanocarbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction. Energy Environ. Sci. 7(2), 576 (2014)
A. Asghar, A.A. Abdul Raman, W.M.A.W. Daud, Recent advances, challenges and prospects of in situ production of hydrogen peroxide for textile wastewater treatment in microbial fuel cells. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 89(10), 1466–1480 (2014)
F.V.E. Dos Reis, V.S. Antonin, P. Hammer, M.C. Santos, P.H.C. Camargo, Carbon-supported TiO2–Au hybrids as catalysts for the electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide: investigating the effect of TiO2 shape. J. Catal. 326, 100–106 (2015)
M. A. O’Connell, J. R. Lewis, and A. J. Wain, Chem. Commun. 51, 10314 (2015)
J.T. Jasper, Z.L. Jones, J.O. Sharp, D.L. Sedlak, Biotransformation of trace organic contaminants in open-water unit process treatment wetlands. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48(9), 5136–5144 (2014)
K. Tammeveski, K. Kontturi, R.J. Nichols, R.J. Potter, D.J. Schiffrin, Surface redox catalysis for O2 reduction on quinone-modified glassy carbon electrodes. J. Electroanal. Chem. 515(1-2), 101–112 (2001)
A. Sarapuu, K. Vaik, D.J. Schiffrin, K. Tammaveski, Electrochemical reduction of oxygen on anthraquinone-modified glassy carbon electrodes in alkaline solution. J. Electroanal. Chem. 541, 23–29 (2003)
A.G. Pandolfo, A.F. Hollenkamp, Carbon properties and their role in supercapacitors. J. Power Sources 157(1), 11–27 (2006)
R. J. Brodd, in Carbons Electrochem Energy Storage Convers Syst, edited by F. Béguin and E. Frackowiak (CRC Press, 2009), pp. 411–468
K. Gong, F. Du, Z. Xia, M. Durstock, L. Dai, Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube arrays with high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction. Science 323(5915), 760–764 (2009)
J. Quílez-Bermejo, C. González-Gaitán, E. Morallón, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Effect of carbonization conditions of polyaniline on its catalytic activity towards ORR. Some insights about the nature of the active sites. Carbon 119, 62–71 (2017)
S. Maldonado, K.J. Stevenson, Influence of nitrogen doping on oxygen reduction electrocatalysis at carbon nanofiber electrodes. J. Phys. Chem. B 109(10), 4707–4716 (2005)
P. Chen, L.-K. Wang, G. Wang, M.-R. Gao, J. Ge, W.-J. Yuan, Y.-H. Shen, A.-J. Xie, S.-H. Yu. Energy Environ. Sci. 7(12), 4095–4103 (2014)
S. Shiraishi, Heat-treatment and nitrogen-doping of activated carbons for high voltage operation of electric double layer capacitor. Key Eng. Mater. 497, 80–86 (2011)
M. Seredych, D. Hulicova-Jurcakova, G.Q. Lu, T.J. Bandosz, Surface functional groups of carbons and the effects of their chemical character, density and accessibility to ions on electrochemical performance. Carbon 46(11), 1475–1488 (2008)
W. Shen, W. Fan, Nitrogen-containing porous carbons: synthesis and application. J. Mater. Chem. A 1(4), 999–1013 (2013)
S. Ratso, I. Kruusenberg, M. Vikkisk, U. Joost, E. Shulga, I. Kink, T. Kallio, K. Tammeveski, Highly active nitrogen-doped few-layer graphene/carbon nanotube composite electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. Carbon 73, 361–370 (2014)
S. Ratso, I. Kruusenberg, U. Joost, R. Saar, K. Tammeveski, Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction activity of nitrogen-doped graphene/multi-walled carbon nanotube catalysts in alkaline media. Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 41(47), 22510–22519 (2016)
S. Ratso, I. Kruusenberg, M. Käärik, M. Kook, R. Saar, M. Pärs, J. Leis, K. Tammeveski, Highly efficient nitrogen-doped carbide-derived carbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. Carbon 113, 159–169 (2017)
M. Vikkisk, I. Kruusenberg, S. Ratso, U. Joost, E. Shulga, I. Kink, P. Rauwel, K. Tammeveski, Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes towards the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. RSC Adv. 5(73), 59495–59505 (2015)
M. Vikkisk, I. Kruusenberg, U. Joost, E. Shulga, K. Tammeveski, Electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction on nitrogen-containing multi-walled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrodes. Electrochim. Acta 87, 709–716 (2013)
M.A. Chougule, Synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole (PPy) thin films. Soft Nanosci. Lett. 1(01), 6–10 (2011)
L.-X. Wang, X.-G. Li, Y.-L. Yang, Preparation, properties and applications of polypyrroles. React. Funct. Polym. 47(2), 125–139 (2001)
M. Mooste, E. Kibena-Põldsepp, L. Matisen, M. Merisalu, M. Kook, V. Kisand, V. Vassiljeva, A. Krumme, V. Sammelselg, K. Tammeveski, Catal. Lett. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-018-2392-6
J. Quílez-Bermejo, E. Morallón, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Chem. Commun. 54, 4441 (2018)
M. Borghei, P. Kanninen, M. Lundahl, T. Susi, J. Sainio, I. Anoshkin, A. Nasibulin, T. Kallio, K. Tammeveski, E. Kauppinen, V. Ruiz, Appl. Catal. B Environ. 158–159, 233 (2014)
A. Gabe, J. García-Aguilar, Á. Berenguer-Murcia, E. Morallón, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Key factors improving oxygen reduction reaction activity in cobalt nanoparticles modified carbon nanotubes. Appl. Catal. B Environ. 217, 303–312 (2017)
D. Salinas-Torres, J.M. Sieben, D. Lozano-Castelló, D. Cazorla-Amorós, E. Morallón, Asymmetric hybrid capacitors based on activated carbon and activated carbon fibre–PANI electrodes. Electrochim. Acta 89, 326–333 (2013)
D. Cazorla-Amorós, J. Alcañiz-Monge, M.A. de la Casa-Lillo, A. Linares-Solano, CO2As an adsorptive to characterize carbon molecular sieves and activated carbons. Langmuir 14(16), 4589–4596 (1998)
F. Stoeckli, L. Ballerini, Evolution of microporosity during activation of carbon. Fuel 70(4), 557–559 (1991)
D. Cazorla-Amorós, J. Alcaniz-Monge, Á. Linares-Solano, Characterization of activated carbon fibers by CO2 adsorption. Langmuir 12(11), 2820–2824 (1996)
F. Zaragoza-Martín, D. Sopeña-Escario, E. Morallón, C.S.-M. de Lecea, Pt/carbon nanofibers electrocatalysts for fuel cells. J. Power Sources 171(2), 302–309 (2007)
A. J. Bard and L. R. Faulkner, Electrochemical methods. Fundamentals and applications, 2nd ed. (New York, 2001)
R.E. Davis, G.L. Horvath, C.W. Tobias, The solubility and diffusion coefficient of oxygen in potassium hydroxide solutions. Electrochim. Acta 12(3), 287–297 (1967)
D. Salinas-Torres, J.M. Sieben, D. Lozano-Castelló, E. Morallón, M. Burghammer, C. Riekel, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Characterization of activated carbon fiber/polyaniline materials by position-resolved microbeam small-angle X-ray scattering. Carbon 50(3), 1051–1056 (2012)
C. Malitesta, I. Losito, L. Sabbatini, P.G. Zambonin, New findings on polypyrrole chemical structure by XPS coupled to chemical derivatization labelling. J. Electron Spectros. Relat. Phenomena 76, 629–634 (1995)
A. Morozan, P. Jégou, S. Campidelli, S. Palacin, B. Jousselme, Relationship between polypyrrole morphology and electrochemical activity towards oxygen reduction reaction. Chem. Commun. 48(38), 4627–4629 (2012)
M. Yuasa, A. Yamaguchi, H. Itsuki, K. Tanaka, Modifying carbon particles with polypyrrole for adsorption of cobalt ions as electrocatatytic site for oxygen reduction. Chem. Mater. 17(17), 4278–4281 (2005)
E. Raymundo-Piñero, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Á. Linares-Solano, The role of different nitrogen functional groups on the removal of SO2 from flue gases by N-doped activated carbon powders and fibres. Carbon 41(10), 1925–1932 (2003)
E. Raymundo-Piñero, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Á. Linares-Solano, J. Find, U. Wild, R. Schlogl, Structural characterization of N-containing activated carbon fibers prepared from a low softening point petroleum pitch and a melamine resin. Carbon 40(4), 597–608 (2002)
Z. Rozlívková, M. Trchová, M. Exnerová, J. Stejskal, The carbonization of granular polyaniline to produce nitrogen-containing carbon. Synth. Met. 161(11-12), 1122–1129 (2011)
S. Kuroki, Y. Hosaka, C. Yamauchi, A solid-state NMR study of the carbonization of polyaniline. Carbon 55, 160–167 (2013)
M.J. Bleda-Martínez, D. Lozano-Castelló, E. Morallón, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Á. Linares-Solano, Chemical and electrochemical characterization of porous carbon materials. Carbon 44(13), 2642–2651 (2006)
C. González-Gaitán, R. Ruiz-Rosas, E. Morallón, D. Cazorla-Amorós, Functionalization of carbon nanotubes using aminobenzene acids and electrochemical methods. Electroactivity for the oxygen reduction reaction. Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 40(34), 11242–11253 (2015)
A. Dobrzeniecka, A.R. Zeradjanin, J. Masa, M. Blicharska, D. Wintrich, P.J. Kulesza, W. Schuhmann, Evaluation of kinetic constants on porous, non-noble catalyst layers for oxygen reduction—a comparative study between SECM and hydrodynamic methods. Catal. Today 262, 74–81 (2016)
J. Wu, D. Zhang, H. Niwa, Y. Harada, M. Oshima, H. Ofuchi, Y. Nabae, T. Okajima, T. Ohsaka, Enhancement in kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction on a nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst by introduction of iron via electrochemical methods. Langmuir 31(19), 5529–5536 (2015)
T. Sharifi, G. Hu, X. Jia, T. Wågberg, Formation of active sites for oxygen reduction reactions by transformation of nitrogen functionalities in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes. ACS Nano 6(10), 8904–8912 (2012)
M. Bayati, K. Scott, Synthesis and activity of a single active site n-doped electro-catalyst for oxygen reduction. Electrochim. Acta 213, 927–932 (2016)
M. Park, T. Lee, B.-S. Kim, Covalent functionalization based heteroatom doped graphene nanosheet as a metal-free electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. Nanoscale 5(24), 12255–12260 (2013)
M. Vikkisk, I. Kruusenberg, U. Joost, E. Shulga, I. Kink, K. Tammeveski, Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction on nitrogen-doped graphene in alkaline media. Appl. Catal. B Environ. 147, 369–376 (2014)
N. Alexeyeva, K. Tammeveski, Electrochemical reduction of oxygen on multiwalled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrodes in acid media. Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 10(5), F18 (2007)
R. A. Sidik, A. B. Anderson, Nalini P. Subramanian, A. Swaminatha P. Kumaraguru, SP and B. N. Popov, (2006)
Y. Okamoto, First-principles molecular dynamics simulation of O2 reduction on nitrogen-doped carbon. Appl. Surf. Sci. 256(1), 335–341 (2009)
B.W. Noffke, Q. Li, K. Raghavachari, L. Li, A model for the pH-dependent selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyzed by N-doped graphitic carbon. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138(42), 13923–13929 (2016)
E. Yeager, Electrocatalysts for O2 reduction. Electrochim. Acta 29(11), 1527–1537 (1984)
Funding
The authors thank MINECO, GV, and FEDER for financial support (projects MAT2016-76595-R, CTQ2015-66080-R (MINECO/FEDER)). ACRP thanks GV for a Santiago Grisolía fellowship (GRISOLIA/2012/009).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic Supplementary Material
ESM 1
(DOCX 362 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ramírez-Pérez, A.C., Quílez-Bermejo, J., Sieben, J.M. et al. Effect of Nitrogen-Functional Groups on the ORR Activity of Activated Carbon Fiber-Polypyrrole-Based Electrodes. Electrocatalysis 9, 697–705 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12678-018-0478-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12678-018-0478-y