3D cobalt-embedded nitrogen-doped graphene xerogel as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial to energy conversion technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Three-dimensional (3D) heteroatom-doped graphene-based materials have been reported to be efficient electrocatalysts for ORR in fuel cells for energy conversion. In this study, a novel cobalt-embedded nitrogen-doped graphene xerogel (denoted as Co-NGX) was prepared by a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The Co-NGX hybrid obtained at the pyrolysis temperature of 900 A degrees C (labeled as Co-NGX 900) was comparable to the benchmark Pt/C catalyst in terms of the onset potential and half-wave potential, indicating excellent ORR activity of our Co-NGX 900 catalyst. Additionally, the proposed Co-NGX 900 also displayed higher stability and better methanol tolerance than the commercial Pt/C, which might hold great promise as a Pt-free catalyst for application in alkaline direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). An advanced and highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction activity catalyst was synthesized by embedding cobalt nanocrystals in nitrogen-doped graphene xerogel.