A new method to prepare non-noble metal based catalysts for the reduction of oxygen in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Catalysts for O 2 reduction in PEFCs were prepared from the pyrolysis of Fe acetate adsorbed on perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride in Ar : H 2 : NH 3 ambient. The amount of adsorbed Fe acetate ranged from 0 to 2.56 wt% Fe nominal. Catalysts are obtained when the pyrolysis temperature is at least 800°C, but 900°C gives the best results. RDE analysis demonstrates that the maximum activity is reached at about 0.2 wt% Fe.