Cobalt and nitrogen codoped porous carbon as superior bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline medium

Cobalt and nitrogen codoped carbon materials (Co-N-C) were fabricated by pyrolysis of the mixture of poly(4-vinylpyridine) and cobalt chloride using SiO2 nanoparticles as hard template, which were the first transition metal/nitrogen-codoped carbon bifunctional electrocatalyst derived from noncarbonizable polymer for ORR and HER. The as-made Co-N-C possessed hierarchical pore structure and high specific surface area, achieving excellent...