The performance of an atomically dispersed oxygen reduction catalyst prepared by γ-CD-MOF integration with FePc

Here, a series of Fe/N/C catalysts with different proportions and pyrolysis temperatures are prepared by co-pyrolysis of melamine with a γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (γ-CD-MOF) containing iron(ii) phthalocyanine (FePc). Due to the restriction effect of the host and guest at the molecular level, γ-CD-MOF can effectively avoid the π-π stacking of FePc and restrain the agglomeration of Fe atoms during pyrolysis. The phases and structures of the catalysts are characterized, which proves that the obtained catalyst has a three-dimensional porous and internal cavity structure with abundant surface area (1055.317 m² g^-1) and Fe is atomically dispersed in nitrogen-doped carbon. The onset potential (0.988 V vs. RHE) and half-wave potential (0.846 V vs. RHE) of FePc@CD/M (1 : 20)-1000 are superior to those of a commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst. FePc@CD/M (1 : 20)-1000 also exhibits an approximately four-electron (3.84) transfer process, good stability and excellent methanol tolerance.