Defects on carbons for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Economical and efficient catalysts are crucial for fuel cell commercialization.
• Non-precious metal catalysts, especially modified carbons, are gaining attention for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
• Defective carbon materials offer a promising avenue for ORR catalysis due to their performance and cost-effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of recent advancements in defective carbon-based materials for ORR catalysis.
• To summarize three main categories of defective carbon electrocatalysts.
• To discuss future research directions in this field.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on defective carbon materials for ORR.
• Categorization of defective carbons into non-metal induced, intrinsic, and atomic metal species induced/coordinated types.
• Discussion of common configurations and examples of these catalysts.

Main Results:

• Defective carbon materials, including non-metal induced, intrinsic, and metal-coordinated types, are effective ORR catalysts.
• Various defect configurations and their impact on catalysis are discussed.
• Examples of both metal-free and metal-coordinated defective carbons are presented.

Conclusions:

• Defective carbon materials are highly active and durable ORR catalysts with potential for low-cost fuel cell applications.
• Understanding defect-promoted catalysis mechanisms is key for designing advanced electrocatalysts.
• Future research should focus on optimizing defect engineering for energy storage and conversion.