Zeolite-templated mesocellular graphene foam with adjustable defects as highly efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

In this study, zeolite-templated mesocellular graphene foam was facilely synthesized by pyrolysis under different temperatures for oxygen reduction reaction. Investigations found that MGF can be regulated with different structure properties by controlling the pyrolysis temperature, where the MGF-900 (pyrolyzed under 900 °C) possessed a large BET specific surface area (619 m2 g−1), a hierarchically micro–meso–macroporous carbon framework, and a better balance between conductivity and active sites than the other counterparts (MGF-800 and MGF-1000). As a result, MGF-900 had the most excellent catalytic activity, the most positive onset potential of − 0.1 V and the highest current density of 5.01 mA cm−2 among the different samples and many other reported carbon-based catalysts. More importantly, despite no heterogeneous atoms doping, the catalytic activity of MGF-900 was nearly equal to that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Regarding tolerance and stability, MGF-900 behaved even better. Therefore, as a superior metal-free electrocatalyst, MGF-900 is proved to be well applied in highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction.