Defect-activated ternary carbon composite: A multifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient oxidation of water, urea, glucose, ORR, and zinc-air batteries

Designing a low-cost multifunction electrocatalyst that can synergistically catalyze multiple reactions in alkaline media while operative for long periods is of paramount importance for the hydrogen economy. Particularly, defect-activated electrocatalysts can significantly improve electrolytic performance by altering their chemical properties and electronic structures. However, developing defect-rich electrocatalysts with multiple active sites for efficient electro-oxidation of water remains challenging. In this respect, we present a straightforward strategy to design a defect-activated multifunctional ternary carbon composite by integrating graphene oxide (GO), Mxene (Mx), and graphitic carbon nitride (CN). Benefiting from the well-integrated 2D interfacial coupling of different carbon nanostructures, carbon composite has several advantageous properties including superior electric conductivity, higher specific surface area, activated surface defects, and highly accessible multicomponent surface-active sites. In addition, carbon composite exhibited macroporous 3D architecture for free migration of oxygen species and electrons. Accordingly, the carbon composite served as a multifunctional electrocatalyst in alkaline media, displaying superior electrolytic activities toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER), urea oxidation reaction (UOR), glucose oxidation reaction (GOR), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Moreover, the Zn-air batteries (ZABs) fabricated with Zn anode and carbon composite as air-cathode demonstrated to have a high-power density, high discharge voltage, and excellent cycling stability in alkaline media. The exceptional electrolytic performance is attributed to the defect-rich interfaces and the synergistic interactions between the multi-components of carbon composite, which not only facilitate free accessible volume for rapid diffusion of oxygen-related species but also maintain the structural integrity during the reaction, thus allowing its comparable fast reaction kinetics. Overall, this work presents a simple and scalable strategy to design an efficient, stable, and eco-friendly multifunctional electrocatalyst that has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications in energy conversion and storage. Schematics depicting the synergistic effect of GO, Mx, and CN are effective in enhancing their surface defects and specific surface area, allowing them to perform as multifunctional electrocatalysts in multiple reactions. [Display omit