Synthesis of three-dimensional nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide catalyst with high activity in acidic

Abstract

In this study, we synthesized a novel three-dimensional nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (3D-NRGO) by integrating a sulfonated polystyrene (PSS) template method with nitrogen doping. The resulting 3D-NRGO was applied as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic electrolyte. Owing to the synergistic effect arising from its three-dimensional structure and nitrogen doping, the catalyst demonstrates substantially augmented catalytic current density, a more positive ORR potential, excellent methanol tolerance, and prolonged operational stability. XPS and EDS characterization coupled with complementary analyses established that graphitic-N constitutes the paramount nitrogen species governing ORR activity in acidic media.