Girimonte, A.; Stefani, A.; Mucci, C.; Giovanardi, R.; Marchetti, A.; Innocenti, M.; Fontanesi, C. Electrochemical Performance of Metal-Free Carbon-Based Catalysts from Different Hydrothermal Carbonization Treatments for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Nanomaterials2024, 14, 173.
Girimonte, A.; Stefani, A.; Mucci, C.; Giovanardi, R.; Marchetti, A.; Innocenti, M.; Fontanesi, C. Electrochemical Performance of Metal-Free Carbon-Based Catalysts from Different Hydrothermal Carbonization Treatments for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Nanomaterials 2024, 14, 173.
Girimonte, A.; Stefani, A.; Mucci, C.; Giovanardi, R.; Marchetti, A.; Innocenti, M.; Fontanesi, C. Electrochemical Performance of Metal-Free Carbon-Based Catalysts from Different Hydrothermal Carbonization Treatments for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Nanomaterials2024, 14, 173.
Girimonte, A.; Stefani, A.; Mucci, C.; Giovanardi, R.; Marchetti, A.; Innocenti, M.; Fontanesi, C. Electrochemical Performance of Metal-Free Carbon-Based Catalysts from Different Hydrothermal Carbonization Treatments for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Nanomaterials 2024, 14, 173.
Abstract
This research investigates the difference on the products obtained through two hydrothermal carbonization treatments. Our aim is to synthesize metal-free, carbon-based catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) to serve as efficient and cost-effective alternatives to plati-num-based catalysts. Catalysts synthesized using the traditional hydrothermal approach exhibit a higher electrocatalytic activity for ORR in alkaline media, despite a more energy-intensive pro-duction process. The superior performance is attributed to differences in particle morphology and to the chemical composition of the particle surfaces. The presence of functional groups on the surfaces of catalysts obtained via traditional approach significantly enhances ORR activity by fa-cilitating deprotonation reactions in an alkaline environment. Our research aims to be a reference for future investigations, shifting the focus to the fine-tuning of surface chemical compositions and morphologies of metal-free catalysts to enhance ORR activity.
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