Mesoporous Nitrogen-Rich carbon as Metal-free anode catalyst for borohydride fuel cells

Abstract

A mesoporous carbon electrocatalyst rich in nitrogen was tested for its activity in borohydride electrochemical oxidation. This non-noble, metal-free, cost-effective catalyst exhibits high current density and stability towards borohydride oxidation under highly alkaline conditions, even at elevated temperatures. The structure-activity relationship was also established for the differentially pyrolyzed mesoporous carbon electrocatalyst by electrochemical and physical characterization.