Cobalt Corrole on Carbon Nanotube as a Synergistic Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid Media

Alternative energy conversion systems with high efficiency, low cost and environmental benignity attract increasing attention. Herein, we astonishedly found that one new M-Nx complex, cobalt corrole [Co(tpfc)(py)2] (where, tpfc = 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl) corrole and py = pyridine, denoted as Co-TPFC), adsorbed on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) (namely, Co-TPFC/MWNT) displayed an outstanding electrocatalytic property towards the reduction of oxygen (O2). The resultant electrocatalyst Co-TPFC/MWNT without pyrolysis treatment or covalent binding demonstrated a direct 4e reduction of O2 to water in acid media, while producing the 2e reduction product of H2O2 in a minimal amount. Meanwhile, our catalyst exhibited better long-term durability and higher tolerance to methanol compared to commercially used high-cost Pt/C catalyst. These results suggest that the Co-TPFC/MWNT catalyst is a technologically promising candidate for practical applications in metal-air batteries and fuel cells.

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