Electrocatalytic Activity of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Cups

摘要

Carbon-based nanomaterials, such as nanotubes and graphene, are currently at the forefront of materials research because they show outstanding electrocatalytic activity due to their unique electrical and chemical properties. Furthermore, the doping of these carbon nanostructures with nitrogen atoms has drawn much attention because conjugation between the nitrogen lone-pair electrons and the graphene π-system may create nanomaterials with tailored electronic and mechanical properties. Recently, Dai and co-workers reported that nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube arrays demonstrate high electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with a great potential for low-cost nonplatinum catalysts for fuel cell cathodes. However, the exact extent of the electrocatalytic activity of these nanomaterials and their application for other electrochemical reactions remained unknown.