Abstract
Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), mixed with Co(II) or Fe(II) salts and high-area carbon and then heat treated, has been found to yield very promising catalysts for O2 reduction in concentrated alkaline and acid solutions. The catalytic activities are comparable to those for the heat-treated corresponding transition metal macrocycles and polypyrrole black-based catalysts. The addition of the transition metal to the nitrogen-containing polymer, either before or after the heat treatment with carbon, is an important factor for good activity. The nitrile nitrogen of the PAN is probably retained and converted to pyridyl nitrogen during the heat treatment, and this nitrogen is believed to provide binding sites for the transition metal ions, which then act as catalytic sites for oxygen reduction to peroxide and its decomposition.
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Gupta, S., Tryk, D., Bae, I. et al. Heat-treated polyacrylonitrile-based catalysts for oxygen electroreduction. J Appl Electrochem 19, 19–27 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01039385
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01039385