title: MOF-Templated Assembly Approach for Fe3C Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Bamboo-Like N-Doped CNTs: Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction under Acidic and Basic Conditions.
abstract: Developing high-performance non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) for the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) is of critical importance for sustainable energy conversion. We report a novel NPMC consisting of iron carbide (Fe3C) nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (b-NCNTs), synthesized by a new metal-organic framework (MOF)-templated assembly approach. The electrocatalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity in 0.1 m KOH (0.89 V at -1 mA cm-2) and in 0.5 m H2SO4(0.73 V at -1 mA cm-2) with a hydrogen peroxide yield of below 1 % in both electrolytes. Due to encapsulation of the Fe3C nanoparticles inside porous b-NCNTs, the reported NPMC retains its high ORR activity after around 70 hours in both alkaline and acidic media.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Arshad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aijaz
authors.affiliation: Analytical Chemistry-Center for Electrochemical Sciences (CES), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Justus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Masa
authors.affiliation: Anorganische Chemie II, Organometallics & Materials, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rösler
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Antoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Technical University Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany.|Catalysis Research Centre, Technical University Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Strasse 1, 85748, Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Roland A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Analytical Chemistry-Center for Electrochemical Sciences (CES), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schuhmann
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.|Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5343-6922
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muhler
keywords: heterogeneous catalysis; iron carbides; metal-organic frameworks; nanostructured materials; oxygen-reduction reaction