Highly Active and Stable Fe-N-C Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Derived from Electrospinning and In Situ Pyrolysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• High-performance electrocatalysts are crucial for electrochemical energy storage and conversion.
• Iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) materials are promising alternatives to precious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
• Current synthesis methods often involve high-temperature treatment of polymers or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop cost-effective Fe-N-C electrocatalysts with abundant active sites and high surface area.
• To synthesize Fe-N-C mesoporous nanofibers using readily available precursors.
• To investigate the effect of calcination conditions on catalyst performance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Fe-N-C mesoporous nanofibers using electrospinning, in situ pyrolysis, and acid treatment.
• Utilizing urea and FeCl3 as low-cost iron and nitrogen sources.
• Employing sealed calcination conditions to enhance nitrogen content.

Main Results:

• The synthesized Fe-N-C nanofibers exhibit abundant Fe-Nx active sites and a large surface area.
• Electrocatalyst demonstrates excellent ORR performance in alkaline media with an onset potential of 0.93 V and a half-wave potential of 0.82 V.
• The material shows good stability and methanol tolerance.

Conclusions:

• The developed Fe-N-C electrocatalyst is a highly effective and stable alternative for ORR in alkaline electrolytes.
• The synthesis strategy offers a low-cost and scalable approach for producing advanced ORR catalysts.
• This research provides insights for designing next-generation electrocatalysts for energy applications.