Dual-function synergy in boron-doped Fe-N-C: enhanced site density and intrinsic activity.

ABSTRACT: Atomically dispersed transition metal, nitrogen co-doped carbon (M-N-C) is hailed as the most promising platinum alternative for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); however, its practical deployment is bottlenecked by inferior intrinsic activity and insufficient site density. Herein, we report a sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) assisted synthesis strategy to achieve dual enhancement of active site density and intrinsic activity. This strategy endows a B-doped catalyst (denoted as Fe-sZ8-N-C) with a high active site density of 2.26 × 10²⁰ sites per g, a two-fold enhancement over conventional Fe-N-C. Besides, the intrinsic activity of the catalyst is improved from 0.96 e per site per s to 1.5 e per site per s. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the boro

SUBMITTER: Tao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12426768 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature