Issue 1, 2020

Understanding the self-templating of hierarchically porous carbon electrocatalysts using Group 2 coordination polymers

Abstract

Self-templating of hierarchical porosity in carbon materials can be realized by the pyrolysis of well-designed metal–organic precursors. While this strategy is elegant and scalable, detailed mechanistic understanding of the self-templating process is lacking. We now report a systematic investigation of the microstructural evolution in porous carbons, including hierarchically micro-/meso-/macroporous materials with variable mesopore size. We focus on a homologous series of well-defined metal–organic coordination polymers, combining the highly abundant Group 2 ions (Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+) with a common ligand. To understand the role of the metal ion in directing the morphology of the ultimate N-doped carbons, we performed a detailed investigation using electron microscopy (HRSEM, HRTEM, EDS), N2 porosimetry, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The rich morphological variations in the carbons determine their activity as metal-free electrocatalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction. In particular, the reaction selectivity (2evs. 4e pathways) is directed by competition between kinetics and mass transfer, due to confinement in mesopores.

Graphical abstract: Understanding the self-templating of hierarchically porous carbon electrocatalysts using Group 2 coordination polymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Mar 2020
Accepted
26 Mar 2020
First published
30 Mar 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2020,1, 20-33

Understanding the self-templating of hierarchically porous carbon electrocatalysts using Group 2 coordination polymers

E. M. Farber, K. Ojha, T. Y. Burshtein, L. Hasson and D. Eisenberg, Mater. Adv., 2020, 1, 20 DOI: 10.1039/D0MA00084A

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