Fe–N Co-doped Porous Carbon Derived from Ionic Liquids as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Development of efficient catalysts with low cost for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) plays an important role in the commercialization of fuel cells. Herein, we reported a facile method to synthesize Fe–N co-doped porous carbon (Fe–N/C) by using green media ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloridoferrate ([Bmim][FeCl4]) as precursor of C, N, and Fe, and spherical silica as a template through one-step pyrolysis. Electrochemical measurements show that Fe–N/C800 possesses excellent ORR catalytic activity. The onset potential and half-wave potential are 0.964 and 0.821 V, respectively, which is close to those on the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Moreover, it exhibits better methanol tolerance and durability in comparison with the Pt/C catalyst. Good performance of Fe–N/C800 in ORR is attributed to its abundant porous structure, large BET surface area, and the synergism of Fe and N dopants.