Enabling the conversion of chemical energy of fuels directly into electricity without combustion,fuel cells are arousing great interest in both academia and industry.A typical case is the proton exchange membrane fuel...Enabling the conversion of chemical energy of fuels directly into electricity without combustion,fuel cells are arousing great interest in both academia and industry.A typical case is the proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC),already commercialized by automobile giants.For mass popularization,however,three major criteria must be balanced:performance,durability and cost.The electrocatalysts used in both the anode and cathode are the kernel of PEMFCs,being essential for efficient operation.First in the firing‐line is the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)at the cathode,which is normally very sluggish:over six orders of magnitude slower than the anode hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)[1].Thus,considerable efforts have been made to improve the cathode ORR.Identifying the main active sites is key to the design of optimum materials for enhanced ORR.Considering the complex balance of preparation,performance and cost,the active sites of metal‐nitrogen‐carbon(M‐N‐C)catalysts are particularly promising.Coupled with the single metal atom(SMA)catalysts[2–5],two excellent M‐N‐C catalysts were recently reported[6,7].New insights were thereby gained into the delicate architecture of carbon‐based SMA catalysts for ORR.展开更多
基金Support by the Jilin Province/Jilin University co-Construction Project-Funds for New Materials (SXGJSF2017-3, Branch-2/440050316A36)the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFA0200400)+3 种基金the NSFC (51372095)the Program for JLU Science and Technology Innovative Research Team (JLUSTIRT)"Double-First Class" Discipline for Materials Science & Engineeringthe Special Funding for Academic Leaders~~
文摘Enabling the conversion of chemical energy of fuels directly into electricity without combustion,fuel cells are arousing great interest in both academia and industry.A typical case is the proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC),already commercialized by automobile giants.For mass popularization,however,three major criteria must be balanced:performance,durability and cost.The electrocatalysts used in both the anode and cathode are the kernel of PEMFCs,being essential for efficient operation.First in the firing‐line is the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)at the cathode,which is normally very sluggish:over six orders of magnitude slower than the anode hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)[1].Thus,considerable efforts have been made to improve the cathode ORR.Identifying the main active sites is key to the design of optimum materials for enhanced ORR.Considering the complex balance of preparation,performance and cost,the active sites of metal‐nitrogen‐carbon(M‐N‐C)catalysts are particularly promising.Coupled with the single metal atom(SMA)catalysts[2–5],two excellent M‐N‐C catalysts were recently reported[6,7].New insights were thereby gained into the delicate architecture of carbon‐based SMA catalysts for ORR.