ZIF-8-Derived Three-Dimensional Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon as a Pt Catalyst Support for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Glucose in a Glucose Fuel Cell

Durable catalysts with high catalytic activity and high oxygen tolerance are required in the glucose oxidation reaction, which is the rate-determining step in abiotic glucose fuel cells (GFCs). Herein, a ZIF-8-derived three-dimensional nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NCZIF-8) material with a large surface area of 944 m2 g–1 is successfully synthesized as a catalyst support. Low loading rates (10 wt %) of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are in situ reduced onto the NCZIF-8 support (10% Pt/NCZIF-8). The addition of the NCZIF-8 support promotes the uniform dispersion of Pt NPs, which enhances the durability of the catalyst by preventing the aggregation of Pt NPs. Moreover, the full exposure of Pt active sites improves the catalytic efficiency, enhancing the catalytic activity during the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose. The porous structure in NCZIF-8 facilitates the kinetic transport of glucose. Pt NPs anchored in pores reduce the influence of oxygen during the glucose oxidation reaction. After a 300-cycle CV test, the peak current density of the 10% Pt/NCZIF-8-decorated anode decreases only by 7.83%, which demonstrates the good durability. A dual-chamber GFC with the 10% Pt/NCZIF-8 anode and the Pt cathode delivered a maximum power density (Pmax) of 0.54 μW cm–2 with an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 323.8 mV and a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 6.5 μA cm–2. The prepared 10% Pt/NCZIF-8 catalyst can be used as a promising catalyst in the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose.