Tunable ternary (N, P, B)-doped porous nanocarbons and their catalytic properties for oxygen reduction reaction.

Heteroatom (N, P, and B)-codoped nanocarbons (NPBC) with nanoporous morphology are fabricated via a facile one-step pyrolysis method and exhibit good electrocatalytic activity, durability, and selectivity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The ORR activity of NPBC is better than single- (nitrogen-doped carbon (NC)) or dual-doped (nitrogen and phosphorus codoped carbon (NPC) or nitrogen and boron codoped carbon (NBC)) catalysts in terms of onset potential and current density. This synthetic approach is efficient and suitable for large-scale fabrication of metal-free carbon-based catalysts.