title: Electrospun interconnected Fe-N/C nanofiber networks as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in acidic media.
abstract: One-dimensional electrospun nanofibers have emerged as a potential candidate for high-performance oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. However, contact resistance among the neighbouring nanofibers hinders the electron transport. Here, we report the preparation of interconnected Fe-N/C nanofiber networks (Fe-N/C NNs) with low electrical resistance via electrospinning followed by maturing and pyrolysis. The Fe-N/C NNs show excellent ORR activity with onset and half-wave potential of 55 and 108 mV less than those of Pt/C catalyst in 0.5 M H2SO4. Intriguingly, the resulting Fe-N/C NNs exhibit 34% higher peak current density and superior durability than generic Fe-N/C ones with similar microstructure and chemical compositions. Additionally, it also displays much better durability and methanol tolerance than Pt/C catalyst. The higher electroactivity is mainly due to the more effective electron transport between the interconnected nanofibers. Thus, our findings provide a novel insight into the design of functional electrospun nanofibers for the application in energy storage and conversion fields.
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yingde
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Education, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yongpeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanzi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gou
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430074, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fang