Synthesis and characterization of zirconium oxide-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction via the heat treatment of zirconium polyacrylate in an ammonia atmosphere

IF 3.5 3区材料科学 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Materials Science Pub Date : 2025-01-21 DOI:10.1007/s10853-025-10620-3

Atsuhiro Ueno, Satoshi Seino, Yushi Tamaki, Yuta Uetake, Takaaki Nagai, Ryuji Monden, Akimitsu Ishihara, Takashi Nakagawa

{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of zirconium oxide-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction via the heat treatment of zirconium polyacrylate in an ammonia atmosphere","authors":"Atsuhiro Ueno, Satoshi Seino, Yushi Tamaki, Yuta Uetake, Takaaki Nagai, Ryuji Monden, Akimitsu Ishihara, Takashi Nakagawa","doi":"10.1007/s10853-025-10620-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Zirconium oxide-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells were synthesized via heat treatment of zirconium polyacrylate in an NH<sub>3</sub> atmosphere. The effects of gas atmosphere and heat treatment temperature on the material structure were systematically examined. The formation of zirconium oxide nanoparticles and carbon residues, which act as electron conduction paths, was observed in all samples. The structure of the material varied significantly depending on the heat treatment conditions. The samples heat-treated in the NH<sub>3</sub> atmosphere showed greater exposure to zirconium oxide nanoparticles and an increase in the specific surface area of the carbon residue caused by NH<sub>3</sub>-induced etching. In addition, the conductivity of the carbon residue increased, and its quantity decreased with increasing heat treatment temperature. This trade-off was optimally controlled at 800 °C, which resulted in a high rest potential and a large ORR current density. This study demonstrates that the heat treatment of organometallic complexes in an NH<sub>3</sub> atmosphere is highly effective for exposing metal oxide nanoparticles and increasing the specific surface area of the carbon residue, providing valuable insights into the design of electron conduction paths for metal oxide-based catalysts.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3>\n<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science","volume":"60 6","pages":"2774 - 2785"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10853-025-10620-3.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Materials Science","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10853-025-10620-3","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Zirconium oxide-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells were synthesized via heat treatment of zirconium polyacrylate in an NH₃ atmosphere. The effects of gas atmosphere and heat treatment temperature on the material structure were systematically examined. The formation of zirconium oxide nanoparticles and carbon residues, which act as electron conduction paths, was observed in all samples. The structure of the material varied significantly depending on the heat treatment conditions. The samples heat-treated in the NH₃ atmosphere showed greater exposure to zirconium oxide nanoparticles and an increase in the specific surface area of the carbon residue caused by NH₃-induced etching. In addition, the conductivity of the carbon residue increased, and its quantity decreased with increasing heat treatment temperature. This trade-off was optimally controlled at 800 °C, which resulted in a high rest potential and a large ORR current density. This study demonstrates that the heat treatment of organometallic complexes in an NH₃ atmosphere is highly effective for exposing metal oxide nanoparticles and increasing the specific surface area of the carbon residue, providing valuable insights into the design of electron conduction paths for metal oxide-based catalysts.

Graphical abstract

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Materials Science 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

7.90

自引率

4.40%

发文量

1297

审稿时长

2.4 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Materials Science publishes reviews, full-length papers, and short Communications recording original research results on, or techniques for studying the relationship between structure, properties, and uses of materials. The subjects are seen from international and interdisciplinary perspectives covering areas including metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers, electrical materials, composite materials, fibers, nanostructured materials, nanocomposites, and biological and biomedical materials. The Journal of Materials Science is now firmly established as the leading source of primary communication for scientists investigating the structure and properties of all engineering materials.