Cu Nanoparticles Embedded in N-Doped Carbon Materials for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Summary of main observation and conclusion Development of eco-friendly,cost-effective,and high-performance electrocatalysts to replace precious metal platinum for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)has received increasing attention.Herein,we adopt a facile one-pot strategy to embed Cu nanoparticles onto N-doped carbon-graphene(Cu@NC-700).The Cu@NC-700 exhibits robust and efficient ORR catalysis with positive half-wave potential(-0.86 V vs.RHE)and lowTafel slope(33.9 mV-dec^-1)in 0.1 M KOH solution.Meanwhile,it manifests remarkable electrochemical stability,and strong tolerance to methanol crossover and carbon monoxide poisoning.The synergistic effect between Cu-N-C sites,Cu nanoparticles,and N-doped carbon support speeds up ORR electrocatalysis.