Carbon materials co-doped with nitrogen and sulfur for highly efficient catalytic activity in oxygen reduction and evolution

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) represent crucial steps in the functioning of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Designing bifunctional oxygen electrode catalysts with high activity for both ORR and OER remains an immense challenge. In this study, we address this challenge by employing in-situ polymerization to design nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon materials (NSCs). The resulting NSC-1000-3 exhibits an onset potential of 1.03 V vs. RHE and a half-wave potential (E1/2) of approximately 0.89 V during ORR in an alkaline solution. When compared to commercial Pt/C, it demonstrates a positive shift of 60 mV in the half-wave potential. Furthermore, NSC-1000-3 displays outstanding oxygen evolution performance. At a current density of 10 mA cm-2, its performance matches that of RuO2. This material demonstrates exceptional performance in both ORR and OER, showcasing the synergistic doping effects of nitrogen and sulfur.