title: Self-supporting oxygen reduction electrocatalysts made from a nitrogen-rich network polymer.
abstract: We report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a new type of non-precious-metal catalyst made from network polymers. 2,6-Diaminopyridine was selected as a building-block monomer for the formation of a nitrogen-rich network polymer that forms self-supporting spherical backbone structures and contains a high density of metal-coordination sites. A Co-/Fe-coordinating pyrolyzed polymer exhibited a high specific oxygen reduction activity with onset and half-wave potentials of 0.87 and 0.76 V vs RHE, respectively, in neutral media. There was no crossover effect of organics on its activity. The power output of a microbial fuel cell equipped with this catalyst on its cathode was more than double the output with a commercial 20 wt % Pt/C catalyst.
authors.affiliation: ERATO/JST, HASHIMOTO Light Energy Conversion Project, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D056831:Coordination Complexes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000737:chemistry; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D056831:Coordination Complexes; D011108:Polymers; D011725:Pyridines; D011758:Pyrroles; C505797:2,6-diaminopyridine; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen