Issue 47, 2015

Al-coordination polymer-derived nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers as metal-free catalysts for oxygen electroreduction and acetalization reactions

Abstract

Nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers were facilely synthesized by the pyrolysis of coordination polymer microfibers of aluminium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Al-DTPA). Al-DTPA microfibers could be easily produced at a scale of over 0.25 kilograms by a homogeneous precipitation reaction of DTPA and aluminium nitrate in aqueous solution. After undergoing thermal conversion of Al-DTPA at the optimized temperatures and acid-leaching, the well-defined nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers were obtained at a scale of over 10 g in the laboratory. The interconnected nanoporous textures and plentiful nitrogen-doped functional sites endow such microfibers with not only efficient catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte, but also superior durability and methanol-tolerance during ORR. Moreover, Al-DTPA microfibers could be also transferred into carbon-based nanoporous solid acids by the sulfuric acid-solvothermal treatment. Plentiful –SO3H functional groups were grafted on the surfaces of nanoporous nitrogen-dopped carbon microfibers (protonic acid amount, 1.8 mmol g−1). They served as a highly efficient and recyclable solid acid catalyst for the acetalization of benzaldehyde and ethylene glycol in a yield of about 99.0 at%. The thermal conversion of Al-coordination polymers might be a new practically feasible technique for the preparation of functional nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers.

Graphical abstract: Al-coordination polymer-derived nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers as metal-free catalysts for oxygen electroreduction and acetalization reactions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Jul 2015
Accepted
14 Oct 2015
First published
15 Oct 2015

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015,3, 23716-23724

Author version available

Al-coordination polymer-derived nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers as metal-free catalysts for oxygen electroreduction and acetalization reactions

Z. Han, Y. Yu, Y. Zhang, B. Dong, A. Kong and Y. Shan, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 23716 DOI: 10.1039/C5TA05605E

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