title: One-step hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reactions.
abstract: A high amount of heteroatom doping in carbon, although favorable for enhanced density of catalytically active sites, may lead to substantially decreased electroconductivity, which is necessary for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction. Herein, a relatively low amount of nitrogen was successfully doped into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a hydrothermal approach in one step, and the synthesized nitrogen-doped CNT (CNT-N) materials retained most of the original, excellent characteristics, such as the graphitic structure, tubular morphology, and high surface area, of CNTs. The resultant CNT-N materials, although containing a relatively low amount of nitrogen doping, exhibited high electrocatalytic ORR activity, comparable to that of 20 wt% Pt/C; long durability; and, more importantly, largely inhibited methanol crossover effect.
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295# Dingxi Rd., Shanghai, 200050 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Lisong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiangzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yongxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fangming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Chenyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zile
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Lingxia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jianlin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
keywords: carbon; doping; electrochemistry; nanotubes; nitrogen