A promising N-doped carbon-metal oxide hybrid electrocatalyst derived from crustacean’s shells: Oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution

Abstract The development of efficient and durable Pt-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is extremely important to realize the world-wide commercialization of the clean energy technologies obstructed by the high cost and scarcity of the Pt-based catalysts. As a potential alternative to such catalysts, this investigation addresses the facile synthesis of an efficient, durable and highly poison-tolerant metal-free N-doped carbon-Nd 2 O 3 hybrid bifunctional electro-catalyst for ORR and water splitting compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst. Chitosan obtained from crustacean’s shells assists to yield a nitrogen-doped graphitic structure with superior activity and durability for ORR. Nd 2 O 3 /N C shows a high tolerance towards crossover of various anodic fuels concurrent with high poisoning tolerance against various hydrocarbon impurities in-situ generated during fuel cell operation. H 2 -air single cell tests using Nd 2 O 3 /N C as cathode catalyst delivered outstanding power density (∼287 mW cm 2 ) and current density (∼572 mA cm −2 ) at 0.6 V. The superior electro-catalytic activity and durability of the as-prepared catalysts mainly originates from the synergistic effects between Nd 2 O 3nano particles and the nitrogen-doped graphitic structure. The facile synthesis method and the high performance together with low-cost of our suggested Pt-free catalyst make it as a promising alternative for the commercial Pt/C.