Smart Energy and Sustainable Environment , ISSN 2668-957X
2026, Volume 29, Issue 1
Pages 5-14

https://doi.org/10.46390/j.smensuen.29126.463

ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY OF NITROGEN-DOPED GRAPHENE OXIDE AS ELECTROCATALYST FOR PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS

Abstract

In this work, the electrochemical performance and durability of nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (N/rGO) electrocatalysts, proposed as metal-free materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), relevant for the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), are investigated. Three N/rGO samples were synthesized using urea as the nitrogen source, with total N contents of 0.84% (N/rGO_A), 1.34% (N/rGO_B) and 1.62% (N/rGO_C), and their behavior was compared with that of the rGO precursor. Electrochemical evaluation by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) confirms the presence of ORR activity for all doped samples at more positive potentials compared to the rGO precursor. The differences between the three N/rGO samples are small, in agreement with the relatively small variation in nitrogen content. The contribution of the capacitive current was analyzed by recording CV at several scan rates, confirming the dependence of the current on the scan rate and justifying the use of LSV for more selective highlighting of the ORR behavior. The durability was evaluated by chronoamperometry (CA) for 12 h, followed by comparison of the CV curves before and after the test (BOL/EOL). The stability of the current over time and the overlap of the CV response before/after CA analysis support a good durability of the N/rGO materials in the investigated environment. Overall, the study shows that nitrogen doping improves the ORR response of rGO and provides a promising direction for the development of metal-free electrocatalysts for PEMFC applications.

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