Synthesis of amorphous and graphitized porous nitrogen-doped carbon spheres as oxygen reduction reaction catalysts.

Amorphous and graphitized nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon spheres are investigated as structurally well-defined model systems to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between synthesis, structure, and their activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). N-doped carbon spheres were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of a glucose solution yielding carbon spheres with sizes of 330 ± 50 nm, followed by nitrogen doping via heat treatment in ammonia atmosphere. The influence of a) varying the nitrogen doping temperature (550-1000 °C) and b) of a catalytic graphitization prior to nitrogen doping on the carbon sphere morphology, structure, elemental composition, N bonding configuration as well as porosity is investigated in detail.

Membrane fuel cell cathode catalysts based on titanium oxide supported platinum nanoparticles.

The potential of platinum catalysts supported on pure, nitrogen-, or carbon-doped titania for application in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), as a cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, is investigated. The oxide supports are synthesized by using a sol-gel route. Modification with nitrogen and carbon doping is achieved by thermal decomposition of urea and the structure-directing agent P123.