Nitrogen-doped carbon materials were synthesized using shale oil as a precursor. The materials have unique hierarchical structures consisting of interconnected micropores, mesopores, and macropores, and exhibit a maximum specific surface area of 836 m² g⁻¹, which guarantee fast mass transport and electron transfer and accelerate oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via efficient four-electron transfer pathway. The incorporation of pyridinic and graphitic N endows the materials with excellent catalytic activity for the ORR, and their performance as well as stability and methanol tolerance exceed that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. Thus, the synthesized materials show promise as metal-free electrocatalysts for fuel cells.

使用页岩油作为前驱体合成了氮掺杂碳材料。这些材料具有独特的层次结构，由相互连接的微孔，中孔和大孔组成，最大比表面积为836 m ² g ^-1，可确保快速的质量传输和电子转移，并通过高效的四步加速氧还原反应（ORR） -电子转移途径。吡啶和石墨氮的结合使该材料对ORR具有出色的催化活性，其性能以及稳定性和甲醇耐受性超过了商用Pt / C催化剂。因此，合成材料显示出有望用作燃料电池的无金属电催化剂。