Efficient non-precious metal catalysts based on FePc-C60 for direct lignin fuel cells

The development of efficient, non-precious metal catalysts for renewable energy applications is a critical step toward sustainable power generation. This research presents and develops a simple preparation method to prepare composite catalysts based on metal phthalocyanines (MPcs) and fullerene-C 60 to improve the catalytic performance of oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in direct lignin fuel cells ( DLFC). Electrochemical tests revealed that the FePc-C 60 catalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in the ORR, with a half-wave potential (E 1/2 ) of 0.81 V, which was similar to the 0.82 V of Pt/C. Furthermore, the FePc-C 60 catalyst exhibited a near 4-electron transfer reaction mechanism, with a limiting current density of 3.9 mA cm −2 and H 2 O 2 yield below 4 %. The Tafel slope measured at 31 mV dec −1 , which was lower than the 49.6 mV dec −1 observed for the Pt/C, implying that the catalyst achieves a higher reaction rate at lower potentials. In fuel cell applications, compared to Pt/C, DLFC with FePc-C 60 as the cathode catalyst exhibited a higher maximum power density (590 mW m −2 ), surpassing Pt/C (381 mW m −2 ). This work successfully constructed an efficient and stable non-precious metal catalyst, offering a new perspective for the development of non-precious metal catalysts and high-value utilization of lignin.