Facile synthesis of hollow Fe–N–C hybrid nanostructures for oxygen reduction reactions

Abstract A novel Fe–N–C composite material with a hollow graphitized nanostructure is prepared by pyrolyzing iron-chelating, nitrogen-containing precursors adsorbed on carbon black spheres for use in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The resulting composite hybrid exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and a four-electron dominated ORR pathway in an alkaline solution. The efficient catalytic activity of the prepared Fe–N–C is mainly attributed to the effective incorporation of nitrogen and iron atoms into the graphitized matrices and high electrical conductivity due to the interconnected structure. Furthermore, the hybrid material shows superior catalytic durability in the alkaline medium even after 3000 cyclic voltammetry cycles, making it a good candidate for a cathodic electrocatalyst in PEMFCs.