Construction and electrocatalytic performance of lignin-based Ag/FC catalysts

Abstract

This investigation presents a comprehensive exploration of the synthesis and characterization of Ag/FC catalysts for the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The catalysts were prepared using the electrospinning technique, with lignin, silver nitrate, and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as precursor materials. The morphology and structure of the catalysts were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results showed that the Ag/FC-900 catalyst, synthesized with a mass ratio of 5:1:5 for lignin, silver nitrate, and PAN, exhibited remarkable ORR and OER activities in alkaline media. Specifically, the half-wave potential of the ORR was recorded at 0.78 V, accompanied by a maximum current density of 4.5 mA/cm2 with a Tafel slope of 95.9 mV/dec. The catalyst exhibited a potential of 1.48 V at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 in OER. Furthermore, the Ag/FC-900 catalyst displayed exceptional stability and methanol tolerance, surpassing the performance of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. These findings propose that the Ag/FC catalyst possesses significant potential as a dual-functional electrocatalyst.