Highly polarized carbon nano-architecture as robust metal-free catalyst for oxygen reduction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

The ORR performance of metal-free electrocatalysts in acid media was successfully boosted by using electronic modulation and nanostructure engineering strategy simultaneously. The resultant NPC catalyst featured with 3D porous nanosheet structure represents unprecedented ORR performance with an onset potential of 0.91 V and half-wave potential of 0.79 V in acid medium, the best among reported metal-free catalysts.232