Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of cobalt-doped ceria embedded on nitrogen, sulfur-doped reduced graphene oxide as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

N, S-doped rGO was successfully synthesized and embedded Co-doped CeO2 via hydrothermal synthesis. The crystal structure, surface morphology and elemental composition of the prepared catalyst were studied by XRD, Raman spectra, SEM, TEM and XPS analyses. The synthesized electrocatalyst exhibits high onset and halfwave potential during the ORR. This result shows that a combination of N-and S-doped rGO and Co-doped CeO2 leads to a synergistic effect in catalyz-ing the ORR in alkaline media. Co–CeO2 /N, S–rGO displays enhanced ORR performance compared to bare CeO2. The superior stability of the prepared catalyst implies its potential applications beyond fuel cells and metal–air batteries.