Flower-like nanostructured V3S4 grown on three-dimensional porous graphene aerogel for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract A novel flower-like nanostructured V3S4/graphene aerogel (V3S4-GA) hybrid is successfully synthesized as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The flower-like V3S4 homogeneously grows on the surface of graphene, which provides a large contact surface area with electrolyte and abundant active sites. The strong covalency of VsbndS bond and the abundant unoccupied d-orbits of vanadium atoms are propitious to the exchange of the adsorbed oxygen molecular. The porous GA exists an excellent continuous electric conductive network for electron transportation and enough nanospace for O2 adsorption and reaction. Such unique nanostructures offer the synthesized V3S4/GA hybrid an excellent ORR catalytic performance, including a high electron transfer per oxygen molecule of 3.97, a high kinetic current density of 9.5 mA cm−2 at −0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl, a high methanol resistance and a good durability.