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High surface area micro-mesoporous graphene for electrochemical applications
Piotr Kamedulski1,2, Malgorzata Skorupska1, Pawel Binkowski1
1Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Gagarina 7, 87-100, Torun, Poland.
Scientific Reports
|November 12, 2021
Summary
High pressure enhances graphene exfoliation and 3D structuring, increasing surface area. The resulting 3D graphene materials show high activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to structural factors, not heteroatoms.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Graphene's unique properties make it promising for energy applications, but scalable production of high-surface-area forms remains a challenge.
- Existing liquid-phase exfoliation methods for graphene often yield nanoplatelets with limited surface area.
- The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for energy conversion devices like fuel cells and metal-air batteries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of external pressure on graphene exfoliation and 3D structuring using liquid-phase exfoliation.
- To evaluate the electrochemical activity of the pressure-exfoliated and 3D-structured graphene materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
- To elucidate the factors contributing to the ORR activity in these novel graphene materials.
Main Methods:
- Liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene enhanced by the application of high external pressure.
- 3D structuring of exfoliated graphene materials.
- Surface area measurement (BET analysis).
- Electrochemical studies, including cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode measurements, to assess ORR activity.
- X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze elemental composition and identify potential catalytic centers.
Main Results:
- External pressure significantly enhanced graphene exfoliation, increasing the specific surface area from 750 m²/g for nanoplatelets to approximately 1100 m²/g after 3D structuring.
- The 3D structured graphene materials exhibited high activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
- XPS analysis confirmed marginal presence of heteroatoms (nitrogen) and transition metals, suggesting that ORR activity is primarily due to structural factors rather than catalytic centers.
Conclusions:
- High-pressure-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation is an effective method for producing high-surface-area 3D graphene materials.
- The enhanced structural properties of these 3D graphene materials are key to their outstanding performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
- These findings emphasize the importance of electrode material structure for graphene-based applications in energy storage and conversion, such as zinc-air batteries.
