Porous and Conductive Fibrous Carbon for Enhanced\nElectrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Media

Abstract

Development\nof an efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst\nis a crucial challenge for modern electrochemistry. Herein, a new\nelectrocatalyst, FeAg-CNF (CNF, carbon nanofiber), was fabricated\nvia simple electrospinning and subsequent calcinations as an outstanding\nORR electrocatalytic catalyst. FeAg-CNF was subjected to water vapor\nactivation to artificially develop the pore structures and excavate\nmore effective sites. The resultant activated FeAg-CNF (A-FeAg-CNF) exhibits excellent activity and\ndurability, which were better than those of commercial Pt/C. Based\non our results, we conclude that the improvement in A-FeAg-CNF is\ncaused by the enhanced pore structure and electrical conductivity.\nWe believe that this study suggests a new insight and is helpful to\ndesigning carbon-based ORR catalysts for energy storage and conversion\napplication fields.