Embedded Ag nanoparticles on boron nitride by introduced carbon nanotubes to optimize ORR and OER performance

Cost-effective, earth-abundant and high electroactive bi-functional electrocatalyst for ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) and OER (oxygen evolution reaction) is desirable for developing sustainable energy systems such as fuel cells, electrolyzers and metal-air batteries . In this work, Ag nanoparticles were first deposited on h-BN sheets via a simple complexation-reduction method, by using carbon nanotube as the conductive material . The structure, morphology and composition of obtained Ag-BN/C catalyst were characterized by XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray), Raman, TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). These tests confirmed the presence of Ag on the h-BN support and tightly binding together by carbon nanotubes. Ag-BN/C shows improved ORR electrocatalytic activity which is comparable to that of Pt/C catalyst. The as-prepared catalyst also exhibits excellent OER catalytic activity. The long-time running and the tolerance to methanol studies show that the Ag-BN/C catalyst possesses high stability properties in alkaline medium. This investigation may provide technical and theoretical validation for application in fuel cells.