Nonmainstream Out‐Plane Fluoro‐ and Amino‐Cofunctionalized Graphene for a Striking Electrocatalyst: Programming Substitutive/Reductive Defluorination toward Graphite Fluoride

Abstract It is mostly reported that graphene lattice doped/codoped with heteroatoms (e.g., nitrogen and boron) in an in‐plane fashion exhibits an impressive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalytic efficiency when serving as a metal‐free catalyst, but the cases that graphene sheets functionalized with heteroatoms in an out‐plane scenario are rarely involved. Herein, amino (NH₂)‐/fluoro (F)‐cofunctionalized graphene (NH₂GF) is rationally designed and synthesized both in out‐plane modes through a programmable substitutive/reductive defluorination toward bulk graphite fluoride using NaNH₂. Versatile NH₂‐/F‐(co)functionalized graphene products with tunable fluorination and amination are readily yielded and their ORR electrocatalysis is evaluated. Intriguingly, the parameter of NH₂/F molar ratio is determinative for their electrocatalytic performances. Consequently, graphene product (roughly formulated in (NH₂)_7.0C₁₀₀F_2.8, vide infra) dually functionalized with NH₂ and F and with an optimized NH₂/F factor of 2.5 outperforms others—overmuch in either NH₂ only or F only. Encouragingly, (NH₂)_7.0C₁₀₀F_2.8 even delivers a slightly better electrocatalytic activity than Pt/C catalyst. This finding implies a significant synergistic effect between NH₂ and F in boosting graphene electrocatalysis. Apart from fantastic electrocatalytic activity, (NH₂)_7.0C₁₀₀F_2.8 also exhibits remarkable resistance to crossover effect and exceptional cycling stability.