Abstract
Rational design of surface plasmon-enhanced electrocatalysts can effectively integrate solar energy into fuel cells. Herein, iron and nitrogen codoped carbon (Fe/NC) nanoparticles synthesized with microemulsion are used to absorb and photo-reduce Ag ions in solutions to form Ag nanoparticles on Fe/NC (Ag-Fe/NC). Different Ag-Fe/NC materials are prepared by adjusting the concentration of AgNO3 solution. Among them, Ag-Fe/NC obtained with 0.5 mg ml−1 AgNO3 solution shows the highest oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic performance and light-enhanced ORR characteristics, even better than commercial Pt/C. Besides, Ag-Fe/NC displays excellent long-term stability and high methanol resistance for ORR performances in alkaline medium. Therefore, this study will provide a new method for integrating light to recover Ag ions in solutions and improve electrocatalytic properties.
Publisher
The Electrochemical Society
Subject
Materials Chemistry,Electrochemistry,Surfaces, Coatings and Films,Condensed Matter Physics,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials