Cylindrical C Fullertubes: A Highly Active Metal-Free O -Reduction Electrocatalyst

Mohamed Fathi Sanad, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Hannah M. Franklin, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA.
Basant A. Ali, Energy Materials Laboratory, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, 11835, Egypt.
Alain R. Puente Santiago, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Aruna N. Nair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Venkata S. Chava, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Olivia Fernandez-Delgado, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Nageh K. Allam, Energy Materials Laboratory, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, 11835, Egypt.
Steven Stevenson, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA.
Sreeprasad T. Sreenivasan, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Luis Echegoyen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.

Third Author's Department

Energy Materials Laboratory

Document Type

Research Article

Publication Title

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

Publication Date

5-16-2022

doi

10.1002/anie.202116727

Abstract

A new isolation protocol was recently reported for highly purified metallic Fullertubes D -C , D -C , and D -C which exhibit unique electronic features. Here, we report the oxygen reduction electrocatalytic behavior of C , C (spheroidal fullerenes), and C , C , and C (tubular fullerenes) using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. C (a metal-free catalyst) displayed remarkable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, with an onset potential of 0.85 V and a halfway potential of 0.75 V, which are close to the state-of-the-art Pt/C benchmark catalyst values. We achieved an excellent power density of 0.75 W cm using C as a modified cathode in a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell, comparable to other recently reported efficient metal-free catalysts. Combined band structure (experimentally calculated) and free-energy (DFT) investigations show that both favorable energy-level alignment active catalytic sites on the carbon cage are responsible for the superior activity of C .

First Page

e202116727

Last Page

e202116727

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