Silver@Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanorods as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Media

In recent years, various platinum-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction ( ORR) have attracted great attention due to the limited natural abundance and high cost of platinum. Herein, Ag@N-C ( N-C: nitrogen-doped carbon) nanorods for the ORR were synthesized through chemical polymerization and pyrolysis methods by using pyrrole and silver nitrate as raw materials. Pyrolysis could significantly increase the specific surface area of as-synthesized catalysts and convert pyrrolic-N into graphitic-N and pyridinic-N. The results of electrochemical tests show that the Ag@N-C-900 catalyst ( pyrolyzed at 900 degrees C) exhibits highly efficient ORR catalytic activity, improved stability, and better methanol resistance in comparison to that of Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media.