EDTA-Assisted Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanospheres with Uniform Sizes for Photonic and Electrocatalytic Applications

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jacob Jeskey, Georgia Institute of Technology; Yidan Chen, Georgia Institute of Technology; Sujin Kim, Georgia Institute of Technology; Younan Xia, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-03-28
• Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023 American Chemical Society
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c00341
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 3024
• End Page: 3032
• Keywords: Chemistry; Materials Science; Physical Sciences; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; NANOPARTICLES; TEMPERATURE; Science & Technology; RESIN; Technology; POLYMER; Chemistry, Physical; CHEMISTRY; SPHERES
• Research Categories: Chemistry, Biochemistry; Engineering, Biomedical

Abstract

We report a robust method for the facile synthesis of N-doped carbon nanospheres with uniform and tunable sizes. Instead of involving a surfactant or other templates, this synthesis relies on the incorporation of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) into the emulsion droplets of phenolic resin oligomers. The EDTA provides a high density of surface charges to effectively increase the electrostatic repulsion between the droplets and thereby prevent them from coalescing into irregular structures during polymerization-induced hardening. The EDTA-loaded polymer nanospheres are highly uniform in terms of both size and shape for easy crystallization into opaline structures. While maintaining good uniformity, the diameters of the resultant N-doped carbon nanospheres can be readily tuned from 100 to 375 nm, allowing for the fabrication of opaline lattices with brilliant structural colors. The EDTA also serves as an additional nitrogen source to promote the formation of graphitic-N, making the N-doped carbon nanospheres highly active, metal-free bifunctional electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions.