Iron-Cobalt-Loaded Carbon Nanotubes from Catalytic Pyrolysis of Waste Surgical Masks and Nitrile Gloves and Their Oxygen Reduction Properties
The global spread of coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) stimulated the usage of disposable face masks (DFMs) and waste nitrile gloves (WNGs). In this work, we report an environment-friendly pathway to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) by catalytic pyrolysis of DFMs and WNGs. The waste-derived carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can encapsulate Fe-Co catalyst during formation and be utilized as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A MgO-supported bimetallic catalyst, Fe-Co was synthesized via co-precipitation for catalytic pyrolysis of DFMs and WNGs mixture at 800 °C. It was compared with the Fe-Ni counterpart in terms of CNT yield and stability. The Fe-Co catalyst obtains good stability and shows a CNT yield at 33 wt.% when the percentage of WNGs does not exceed 20 wt.% while Fe-Ni catalyst failed to promote the synthesis of CNTs in presence of WNGs. N-CNTs display a diameter of around 25 nm and several micrometers in length, and the elemental analysis confirmed that the nitrogen composition in N-CNTs from Fe-Co exceeds 1 wt.%. Fe-Co micro-spinels were found encapsulated in the CNTs. Compared with commercial Pt/C, the Fe-Co encapsulated N-CNTs show remarkable properties as the catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) after treatment, with a half-wave potential at 0.831V (vs. RHE) and strong resistance to methanol poisoning. This result can be attributed to the recycling of waste generated in the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential application of waste-derive materials
Year of publication: |
[2023]
|
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Authors: | Li, He ; Tang, Karen Yuanting ; Yao, Dingding ; Ye, Enyi ; Wang, Chi-Hwa |
Publisher: |
[S.l.] : SSRN |
Saved in:
freely available
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