Highly stable Ti–Co–Phen/C catalyst as the cathode for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

•A Ti–Co–Phen/C catalyst was prepared using a modified polymer complex method.•The catalyst ORR activity was enhanced because of a larger N surface content.•A 0.68 W cm−2 maximum power density was obtained.•The cell performance stability did not drop perceptibly during 550 h at 0.5 V.•The cell performance stability did not drop perceptibly during 300 h at 0.7 V.

A Ti–Co–Phen/C catalyst was prepared for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) without precious metals using a modified polymer complex (PC) method with 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) as the nitrogen precursor. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of the Ti–Co–Phen/C catalyst was significantly higher than the ORR activity of the Ti–Co/C catalyst prepared with the PC method because the former had a larger N surface content due to its highly dispersed Co species. The catalyst also exhibited excellent chemical stability in acidic media due to the probable strong interactions between the highly dispersed Ti and Co species. A H2/O2 PEMFC using the Ti–Co–Phen/C catalyst as the cathode demonstrated excellent cell performance. A 0.68 W cm−2 maximum power density was obtained. The cell performance stability did not drop perceptibly during its 550-h lifetime at 0.5 V and its 300-h lifetime at 0.7 V. The prepared Ti–Co–Phen/C catalyst exhibited both high ORR activity and excellent performance stability, making it a promising alternative for the cathode catalysts in PEMFCs.