Vitamin C is a naturally occurring molecule with antioxidant properties, and it often plays a pivotal role in many chemical and biochemical processes. We show that a cobalt-based molecular electrocatalyst can mediate the electron donation from vitamin C which upon coupling with a non-bonded and reversible electron acceptor; the electron flow between the half cells can be channeled in a precious-metal-free configuration. The non-bonded nature of the electron acceptor allows fast interfacial kinetics even on simple carbon particles and arrests the cathode-derived parasitic chemistry often encountered in oxygen breathing fuel cells. Consequently, a vitamin C fuel cell driven by the non-bonded cathodic interface demonstrates ∼18 times higher performance metrics compared to the precious-metal-based vitamin C–O₂ configuration. Due to the renewable nature of the fuel and the precious metal-free configuration in the proposed non-bonded architecture, the cell can noticeably reduce the cost of electricity per kW with potential practical applications in powering commercial electrical appliances.

中文翻译：

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具有非键合阴极界面的维生素C燃料电池†

维生素C是具有抗氧化特性的天然分子，通常在许多化学和生化过程中起关键作用。我们表明，基于钴的分子电催化剂可以介导维生素C的电子捐赠，而维生素C与非键合且可逆的电子受体偶联。半电池之间的电子流可以无贵金属的形式被引导。电子受体的非键合性质即使在简单的碳颗粒上也能实现快速的界面动力学，并阻止了氧气呼吸型燃料电池中经常遇到的阴极衍生的寄生化学。因此，由非键合阴极界面驱动的维生素C燃料电池的性能指标是基于贵金属的维生素C–O _2的约18倍。配置。由于燃料的可再生特性和拟议的非粘结体系结构中的无贵金属配置，该电池可显着降低每千瓦的电成本，并具有为商用电器供电的潜在实际应用。