Core-shell motif construction: Highly graphitic nitrogen-doped porous carbon electrocatalysts using MOF-derived carbon@COF heterostructures as sacrificial templates

The design and construction of superior electrocatalysts based on covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have attracted increasing interest. However, COFs typically exhibit low electrocatalytic activity as a result of their poor electrical conductivity. In this study, a highly graphitic nitrogen-doped porous carbon electrocatalyst (GC@COF-NC) is fabricated by utilizing metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived GC@COF core-shell heterostructure as a sacrificial template. Featured with high conductivity, hierarchical porosity (micropores and mesopores), and abundant N doping, the resulting GC@COF-NC heterostructure manifests a high activity for ORR in an alkaline solution with exceptional onset and half-wave potentials, direct four-electron pathway, and good long-term stability. This synthetic strategy is expected to open a new avenue toward the construction of other COF-derived heteroatom-doped graphitic carbon heterostructures with promising potential for electrocatalytic applications.