Networking Pyrolyzed Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks by Carbon Nanotubes Improves Conductivity and Enhances Oxygen-Reduction Performance in Polymer-Electrolyte-Membrane Fuel Cells

Chao Zhang; Yu-Cheng Wang; Bing An; Ruiyun Huang; Cheng Wang; Zhiyou Zhou; Wenbin Lin

doi:10.1002/adma.201604556

Networking Pyrolyzed Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks by Carbon Nanotubes Improves Conductivity and Enhances Oxygen-Reduction Performance in Polymer-Electrolyte-Membrane Fuel Cells

Adv Mater. 2017 Jan;29(4). doi: 10.1002/adma.201604556. Epub 2016 Nov 22.

Authors

Chao Zhang¹, Yu-Cheng Wang¹, Bing An¹, Ruiyun Huang¹, Cheng Wang¹, Zhiyou Zhou¹, Wenbin Lin^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, 929 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.

PMID: 27874225
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201604556

Abstract

A high-performance nonprecious-metal oxygen-reduction electrocatalyst is prepared via in situ growth of bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate frameworks on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) followed by adsorption of furfuryl alcohol and pyrolysis. The networking boosts the conductivity and performance in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, yielding a maximal power density of 820 mW cm^-2 .

Keywords: carbon nanotubes; oxygen-reduction reaction; proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells; zeolitic imidazolate frameworks.