Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Decorated With Mn2O3 Nanoparticles for Excellent Oxygen Reduction Reaction

• Main Authors: Maryam Qasim, Jianhua Hou, M. A. Qadeer, Sajid Butt, M. Hassan Farooq, M. Qasim Farooq, Faryal Idrees, M. Tanveer, Jijun Zou, Muhammad Tahir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-11-01
• Series: Frontiers in Chemistry
• Subjects: oxygen evaluation reaction; PT; nanosheeet; Mn2O3; nitrogen doped carbon
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fchem.2019.00741/full
• ISSN: 2296-2646

The purpose of this study is to develop an active, low cost, non-precious, stable, and high-performance catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this regard, Mn2O3-decorated nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (Mn2O3/NC) are fabricated by a two-step strategy involving a hydrothermal method and a solid-state method. In the resultant structures, very fine Mn2O3 nanoparticles with an average size of about 5 nm are strongly attached to nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets. The role of the Mn2O3 nanoparticles is to provide active sites for ORR, while the presence of the nitrogen-doped carbon not only enhances the conductivity of the overall structure but is also helpful for overall stability. The Mn2O3/NC shows good onset potential (0.80 V@−1 mA/cm2), methanol crossover effect, and stability (90%).