▎ 摘　　要

The redox flow battery (RFB) is considered one of the most attractive energy storage technologies because of its high efficiency, long service life and great safety. In this work, nitrogen-doped porous graphene (NPG) was achieved by embedding nitrogen atoms into the graphitic matrix via a sacrificial-template-assisted pyrolysis approach, and then was employed to catalyze electrochemically the redox reaction of 1,2-dihydrobenzoquinone-3,5-disulphonic acid (BQDSH2) for aqueous organic RFB application. The electrocatalytic performances of this catalyst toward the BQDS/BQDSH2 redox couple were greatly enhanced, including a 6.7 times higher rate constant and much lower peak potential separation value compared to those of a glassy carbon electrode. Furthermore, a 9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (AQDS)/BQDS RFB with NPGs as the cathodic BQDS/BQDSH2 catalyst exhibited a maximum power density of ca. 62.4 mW cm(-2), about 3.3 times higher than that of the pristine RFB without NPGs, and a minimal discharge capacity fade during the cycling test. The abundant nitrogen defects in NPGs are beneficial to the BQDS/BQDSH2 redox reaction by providing active sites and enhancing the transfer rate of protons and reactants, contributing to the improvement of AQDS/BQDS RFB performance.