B-Doped Fe/N/C Porous Catalyst for High-Performance Oxygen Reduction in Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

The development of high-performance non-precious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as an alternative to platinum-based counterparts in fuel cells is highly desirable but challenging. In this study, a facile approach for preparing a porous boron-bearing Fe/N/C catalyst by pyrolysis was reported. The obtained FeCNB-900 with a high surface area (784m(2)g(-1)) favored a 4e(-)-reduction pathway for ORR, with a half-wave potential of approximate to 0.86V vs. RHE and high stability in 0.1M KOH. Furthermore, anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) with the use of the FeCNB-900 composite as the cathode catalyst exhibited a maximal power density of 0.172Wcm(-2) without back pressure, revealing its promising potential for application in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Results demonstrated that the additional doping of B into Fe/N/C leads to a significant increase in the specific surface area of the catalyst composite and can adjust surface polarities as well as electronic properties and provide more active sites to impart a synergistic effect for boosting catalytic ORR performance.