Nitrogen-doped Porous Carbon Derived from Chitin with Enhanced Performances for Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Supercapacitor

摘要

Herein a porous carbon with a high content of nitrogen, high surface area and high degree ofgraphitization was prepared by pyrolysing a cheap and abundant biopolymer chitin in the presence ofboth FeCl3 and ZnCl2. It was found the electrochemical performance is significantly dependent on thecarbonization temperature. The 1000 °C-treated carbon exhibited high electrocatalytic activity ascatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), showing a four-electron oxygen reduction pathwaywith an onset potential of 0.978 V (against reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE). The porous carbonalso exhibited a capacitance of 130 F/g at 0.5A/g and excellent rate performance as electrode forsupercapacitors. These results are attributed to the high surface area, as well as the high degree ofgraphitization which endows the as-prepared carbon with a high electrical conductivity.