Nitrogen and sulfur co-doping of partially exfoliated MWCNTs as 3-D structured electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Preventing the stacking of graphene sheets is of vital importance for highly efficient and stable fuel cell electrocatalysts. In the present work, we report a 3-D structured carbon nanotube intercalated graphene nanoribbon with N/S co-doping. The nanocomposite is obtained by using high temperature heat-treated thiourea with partially unzipped multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The unique structure preserves both the properties of carbon nanotubes and graphene, exhibiting excellent catalytic performance for the ORR with similar onset and half-wave potentials to those of Pt/C electrocatalysts. Moreover, the stereo structured composite exhibits distinct advantages in long-term stability and methanol poisoning tolerance in comparison to Pt/C.