N-Doped Carbon Aerogel Derived from a Metal–Organic Framework Foam as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising alternative precursors for the fabrication of heteroatom-doped carbon materials for energy storage and conversion. However, the direct pyrolysis of bulk MOFs usually gives microporous carbonaceous materials, which significantly hinder the mass transportation and the accessibility of active sites. Herein, N-doped carbon aerogels with hierarchical micro-, meso-, and macropores were fabricated through one-step pyrolysis of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/carboxymethylcellulose composite gel. Owing to the hierarchical porosity, high specific surface area, favorable conductivity, excellent thermal and chemical stability, the as-prepared N-doped carbon aerogel exhibits excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, long-term durability, and good methanol tolerance in alkaline medium. This work thus provides a new way to fabricate new types of MOF-derived carbon aerogels for various applications.