Single-Cu-atoms anchored on 3D macro-porous carbon matrix as efficient catalyst for oxygen reduction and Pt co-catalyst for methanol oxidation

Single metal atoms immobilized on a carbon substrate are of great potential for enhancing the catalytic activities for oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation reactions (ORR/MOR) owing to the maximized atom utilization. Herein, single copper atoms (SCAs) are loaded on macro-porous nitrogen-doped carbon (Cu-NC) derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which are used as catalysts for ORR and Pt-supports for MOR. For ORR, the catalyst marked as Cu-NC-3 exhibits a higher peak potential of 0.87 V ( vs. Reversible hydrogen electrode) than that of commercial Pt/C (0.83 V), mainly attributing to that the 3D macro-porous structure of Cu-NC-3 provides adequate space for uniform dispersion of SCAs as the main active species, and smooth diffusion pathways for fast transport of substances (O 2 , H 2 O), therefore reducing the overpotential and the intermediate (H 2 O 2 ) generation to enhance ORR activity. For MOR, Pt-Cu-NC-3 has a higher mass activity of 1217.4 mA/mg Pt than that of Pt/C (752.4 mA/mg Pt ), and its activity maintenance (decline of 27.6%) is also better than Pt/C (decline of 44.0%) after 5000 cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles. The interactions between SCAs and Pt nanoparticles should facilitate the generation of OH − from water molecules, which can fast eliminate the adsorbed CO to recover the Pt active sites to improve MOR performance. This synthesis strategy affords a new inspiration to prepare single metal atoms loaded on ZIFs-derived macro-structure with diverse activities for ORR/MOR.