Conversion of waste tire rubber into high-value-added carbon supports for electrocatalysis

Carbon supports are vital for a wide range of electrochemical reactions, yet the production of useful carbon supports largely relies on costly precursors and fabrication methods. Here, we present a new economical process to fabricate carbon-based supports for electrocatalysts using recycled tire rubber as the main feedstock. Using the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as an example, we deposited Pt nanocubes on tire-derived carbon with different textural properties and surface chemistries. Our results show that Pt nanocubes are most effective toward the ORR when loaded onto tire-derived carbon with an increased electrochemically active surface area, a decreased average pore diameter, low sulfur content, and good crystallinity. These properties collectively allow for high dispersion of Pt nanocubes onto the tire-derived carbon support, and hence, increase the activity toward oxygen reduction. When benchmarked against a commercial carbon black support (Ketjen-300), the tire-derived carbon support achieved similar performance. Our results highlight an effective approach to converting waste tires into carbon supports for electrocatalysis.

Duke Scholars

Author Miaofang Chi Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...