Fe/N/S-doped mesoporous carbon nanostructures as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in acid medium

•Doped mesoporous carbon nanostructures were synthesized using a template method.•The as-prepared samples exhibited a well-ordered mesoporous structure.•The mesoporous carbon nanostructures contained multi-dopants such as Fe, N, and S.•The doped carbon nanostructures showed highly improved ORR activity and stability.•The improved properties were due to a well-doped mesoporous carbon nanostructure.

Many alternatives to typical Pt-based catalysts have been developed to enhance oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance in acid medium due to their scarcity and high activation loss during the ORR. We synthesized mesoporous carbon nanostructures with multi-dopants such as iron, nitrogen, and sulfur as a cathode catalyst using the ordered silica templates and porphyrinic iron. The co-doped mesoporous carbon cathode catalysts exhibited a high ORR performance in an acid medium, i.e. complete ORR process and improved durability. The enhanced ORR properties of the catalysts might be ascribed to iron-containing catalytic active sites surrounded by nitrogen/sulfur species and a well-defined mesoporous carbon nanostructure.

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