A Facile Synthesis of Noble‐Metal‐Free Catalyst Based on Nitrogen Doped Graphene Oxide for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract

A simple method for the mechanochemical synthesis of an effective metal‐free electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction was demonstrated. A nitrogen‐doped carbon material was obtained by grinding a mixture of graphene oxide and melamine in a planetary ball mill. The resulting material was characterized by XPS, EPR, and Raman and IR spectroscopy. The nitrogen concentration on the N‐bmGO surface was 5.5 at%. The nitrogen‐enriched graphene material (NbmGO has half‐wave potential of −0.175/−0.09 V and was shown to possess high activity as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. The electrocatalytic activity of NbmGO can be associated with a high concentration of active sites for the adsorption of oxygen molecules on its surface. The high current retention (93% for 12 h) after continuous polarization demonstrates the excellent long‐term stability of NbmGO.