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Graphite carbon enclosed AlN nanoparticles with enhanced methanol-tolerant electrocatalytic properties for oxygen reduction
C. Liang1, H. Wang2, K. Huang3, W. Liu1, K. Bi1, M. Lei1
1 State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications & School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
2 Materials Science and Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas, 78712, United States
3 State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
received June 2, 2018, received in revised form February 1, 2019, accepted February 18, 2019
Vol. 10, No. 1, Pages 1-8 DOI: 10.4416/JCST2018-00041
Abstract
The methanol crossover effects and high-cost of Pt based catalysts severely restrict the practical applications of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). In this work, a novel structure of ∼25 nm AlN nanoparticles with graphite carbon outer coating (AlN@C) was synthesized via a one-step solid-state method with simultaneous nitridation processes and carbon graphitization. AlN@C nanocomposites were exploited as a catalyst of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Benefited from the graphite carbon outer coating, AlN@C exhibits enhanced electrochemical properties (more positive onset potential and higher current density) than pure AlN. Notably, superior methanol-tolerance (a negligible current change after adding 3 M methanol) and excellent durability (91.4 % of the initial current density remained after 10000 s of chronoamperometry test) can be observed. This study provides a feasible approach for developing the applications of traditional ceramic materials towards the ORR catalyst in DMFCs.
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Keywords
Aluminum nitride, composite materials, graphite carbon, fuel cells, oxygen reduction reaction.
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