Pre-surface functionalization of commercial conductive carbon for effective N doping as a highly efficient electrocatalyst

A low-cost and highly efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is in urgent demand for the commercialization of alkaline metal/air batteries. Herein, an effective N-doped carbon was obtained by employing pre-surface carboxylation process on the origin conductive carbon. Finally, the as-prepared KB-based sample exhibits a comparable electrocatalytic activity with commercial Pt/C, indicating a great potential of application in alkaline metal/air batteries.