Transforming hair into heteroatom-doped carbon with high surface area

Herein, a unique approach to dispose of human hair by pyrolizing it in a regulated environment is presented, yielding highly porous, conductive hair carbons with heteroatoms and high surface area. α-keratin in the protein network of hair serves as a precursor for the heteroatoms and carbon. The carbon framework is ingrained with heteroatoms such as nitrogen and sulfur, which otherwise are incorporated externally through energy-intensive, hazardous, chemical reactions using proper organic precursors. This judicious transformation of organic-rich waste not only addresses the disposal issue, but also generates valuable functional carbon materials from the discard. This unique synthesis strategy involving moderate activation and further graphitization enhances the electrical conductivity, while still maintaining the precious heteroatoms. The effect of temperature on the structural and functional properties is studied, and all the as-obtained carbons are applied as metal-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Carbon graphitized at 900 °C emerges as a superior ORR electrocatalyst with excellent electrocatalytic performance, high selectivity, and long durability, demonstrating that hair carbon can be a promising alternative for costly Pt-based electrocatalysts in fuel cells. The ORR performance can be discussed in terms of heteroatom doping, surface properties, and electrical conductivity of the resulting porous hair carbon materials.