Mesoporous iron-nitrogen co-doped carbon material as cathode catalyst for the anion exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

A novel and commercially available electrocatalyst is characterised and used as cathode catalyst in an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC). The catalyst material is prepared using VariPore™ method by Pajarito Powder, LLC, and as dopants iron and nitrogen are used, making it a mesoporous transition metal-nitrogen-carbon type catalyst. The physico-chemical characterisation shows the success of doping as well as almost completely mesoporous structure (average pore size of approximately 7 nm) with high specific surface area. The initial assessment of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity by the rotating ring-disc electrode method reveals that the material exhibits a very good electrocatalytic performance in alkaline media having a half-wave potential of 0.89 V. The catalyst material is employed as an anion exchange membrane fuel cell cathode and it shows AEMFC performance as good as that of the Pt-based material. The high ORR electrocatalytic activity of this material is due to the synergy of nitrogen-moieties, namely pyrrolic-N, pyridinic-N and graphitic-N, with iron as well as the highly mesoporous nature.