A melamine formaldehyderesin route to in situ encapsulate Co2O3 into carbon black for enhanced oxygen reduction in alkaline media

Enhancing the activity and stability of the non-precious metal catalyst (NPMC) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is vital for the commercialization of fuel cells. Herein, we put forward a method in which the melamine formaldehyderesin was used as a precursor to encapsulate in situ Co2O3 into carbon black to form Co2O3@MF-C catalysts. The prepared catalysts were characterized by TEM, XRD, XPS, BET, and Raman spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity was measured by using rotating disk electrode (RDE) voltammetry. The Co2O3@MF-Cs shows outstanding electrocatalytic activity in alkaline solution compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The 20%Co2O3@MF-C-650 shows the highest activity for ORR and its initial reduction potential and half-wave potential reach 1.01 V and 0.94 V, respectively, in 0.1 M KOH solution. The prepared catalysts also follow the 4-electron pathway ORR process both in alkaline and in acid conditions.