A mesoporous Fe/N/C ORR catalyst for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Fe/N/C is a promising non-platinum catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Even so, mass transfer remains a challenge in the application of Fe/N/C to proton exchange membrane fuel cells, due to the high catalyst loadings required. In the present work, mesoporous Fe/N/C was synthesized through heat treatment of KJ600 carbon black coated with poly-2-aminobenzimidazole and FeCl3. The as-prepared Fe/N/C possesses a unique hollow-shell structure that contains a buffer zone allowing both water formation and vaporization, and also facilitates the mass transfer of gaseous oxygen. This catalyst generated an oxygen reduction reaction activity of 9.21 A/g in conjunction with a peak power density of 0.71 W/cm2.

Graphical AbstractMesoporous Fe/N/C was prepared without using a template, and this technique was found to facilitate mass transfer and improve the performance of the catalyst in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide