TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a carbon catalyst, and an electrode and a battery including the carbon catalyst.

BACKGROUND ART

In Patent Literature 1, there is described an oxygen reduction catalyst, including a stack of single-layer graphene and a phosphorous compound, and having such a graphene skeleton that carbon atoms of the graphene are partially replaced by nitrogen atoms, in which the phosphorus compound has a peak of a phosphorus 2p orbital of from 133.0 eV to 134.5 eV in an X-ray photoelectron spectrum, or a peak of a phosphorus 2p orbital of the phosphorus compound is shifted by from 1.0 eV to 2.5 eV toward a high-energy side from a peak of a phosphorus 2p orbital of tetra-n-butylphosphonium bromide in an X-ray photoelectron spectrum. It is also described that the oxygen reduction catalyst further contains iron or cobalt, and that the oxygen reduction catalyst further contains platinum.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

[PTL 1] JP 2013-208597 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

Hitherto, however, it has not been clear in which state phosphorus atoms contribute to the improvement of catalytic activity in a carbon catalyst.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a carbon catalyst having improved catalytic activity, and an electrode and a battery including the carbon catalyst.

Solution to Problem

According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem, there is provided a carbon catalyst including a metal and phosphorus atoms, wherein the carbon catalyst has a ratio of a concentration (atomic %) of the phosphorus atoms with respect to a concentration (atomic %) of carbon atoms in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurement of 0.0005 or more, the phosphorus atoms exhibiting a peak having a peak top within a range of 132.5±0.3 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 2.0±0.5 eV, which is obtained by peak separation of a phosphorus atom P2p peak. According to the embodiment of the present invention, a carbon catalyst having improved catalytic activity is provided.

In addition, the carbon catalyst may have a ratio of an area of the following peak (2) with respect to a total area of the following five peaks (1) to (5) in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurement of 0.3000 or more, the five peaks being obtained by the peak separation of the phosphorus atom P2p peak: (1) a peak having a peak top within a range of 130.0±0.3 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 2.0±0.5 eV; (2) a peak having a peak top within a range of 132.5±0.3 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 2.0±0.5 eV; (3) a peak having a peak top within a range of 133.2±0.3 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 2.0±0.5 eV; (4) a peak having a peak top within a range of 133.9±0.3 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 2.0±0.5 eV; and (5) a peak having a peak top within a range of 135.6±0.4 eV and having a full width at half maximum of 2.0±0.5 eV.

In addition, the carbon catalyst may have a carbon structure in which area ratios (%) of the following two peaks fbroadand fnarrowobtained by separating a peak in a vicinity of a diffraction angle (2θ) of 26° in an X-ray diffraction pattern in powder X-ray diffraction measurement satisfy the following conditions (a) and (b): (a) a peak fbroadhaving a peak top within a range of a diffraction angle (2θ) of 23.5°±3.5° and having a full width at half maximum of 10.0°±5.0°: 73.0% or more and less than 100.0%; and (b) a peak fnarrowhaving a peak top within a range of a diffraction angle (2θ) of 26.5°±1.0° and having a full width at half maximum of 3.5°±3.0°: more than 0.0% and 27.0% or less.

According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem, there is provided an electrode, including any one of the above-mentioned carbon catalysts. According to the embodiment of the present invention, an electrode having improved performance is provided.

According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem, there is provided a battery, including the above-mentioned electrode. According to the embodiment of the present invention, a battery having improved performance is provided.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, a carbon catalyst having improved catalytic activity, and an electrode and a battery including the carbon catalyst are provided.

