Fe-doped metal-organic frameworks-derived electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media

Electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) play a key role in promoting the commercialization of the fuel cells. The expensive price, fuel crossover effect and poor durability of Pt-based cathode catalysts impose restrictions on the ORR in fuel cells. In this work, we develop Fe-N-C porous carbon-based catalysts obtained from pyrolysis of Fe doped zinc-based zeolite imidazole framework for boosting the catalytic performance of the ORR in alkaline media. The catalyst with the best performance was obtained by using 15% Fe doping in the synthesis, displaying a half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.843 V vs. RHE in alkaline electrolyte. This catalyst also shows excellent long-term durability for ORR and great tolerance for the crossover effect of methanol. The high-performance of the catalyst is attributed to the synergetic contributions of Fe-N_x active sites and the presence of Fe₃C.