Topotactic N-doped carbon for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

A topotactic molecular doping strategy is developed via in situ coupling of dechlorinated carbon with ringed heterocyclic molecules under mild conditions. Specifically, pyridine and pyrrole-converted carbons show pyridinic N to pyrrolic N ratios of 1.82 and 0.13, respectively. The N_pyri-C shows much-advanced activity and kinetics for oxygen reduction over the N_pyrr-C sample.