Nitrogen-doped carbon materials derived from acetonitrile and Mg-Co-Al layered double hydroxides as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

The N-doped carbon materials are able to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction by 2 and 4 electrons. The order of selectivity for 4-electron reduction is the following: C-800 < C-700 < C-600. Among studied samples, C-600 has the highest concentration of pyridinic nitrogen being responsible for 4-electron reduction and the lowest concentration of O-containing groups, in particular carbonyl and carboxyl, being responsible for 2-electron reduction.