Interconnected 3D Fe3O4/rGO as highly durable electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract Development of low-cost and high-efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst is a crucial challenge in fuel cell technology. Herein, we proposed a simple and scalable strategy to fabricate an interconnected 3D Fe3O4/rGO composite, in which Fe3O4 nanoparticles mechanically anchor in reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Benefiting from its 3D layered structure with loose skeleton and rich porosity, and strong synergetic coupling between Fe3O4 nanoparticles and rGO, the prepared composite, Fe3O4/rGO, provides better catalytic performance for ORR compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst, featuring high limiting current density (4.6 mA cm−2) close to that of Pt/C (4.7 mA cm−2), low H2O2 yield (1%–6%), high electron transfer number (∼4), and outstanding long-term durability and methanol resistance in alkaline electrolytes. These encouraging results manifest that the Fe3O4/rGO composite holds great promise as a low-cost and high-performance alternative catalyst for ORR.