Fe–N–C Support-Enhanced Pt Catalyst for High-Performance Oxygen Reduction

Platinum-based catalysts are highly effective for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but their prohibitive cost and insufficient activity impede large-scale commercialization. Herein, we report a Pt@Fe-NC electrocatalyst synthesized by depositing uniform platinum nanoparticles onto an iron–nitrogen–carbon (Fe–NC) support via an ethylene glycol reduction method. The Fe–NC support, prepared from an iron (II)-1,10-phenanthroline complex precursor to ensure high iron utilization, modulates the electronic structure of the Pt nanoparticles, thereby enhancing both catalytic activity and stability. The optimized Pt@Fe-NC catalyst (13.54 wt% Pt) exhibits exceptional ORR performance in acidic media, with a half-wave potential of 0.852 V and notable stability. When integrated into a zinc-air battery, the catalyst delivered a high specific capacity of 652.66 mAh g Zn −1 . Furthermore, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) employing this catalyst achieved a high open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 0.964 V and a peak power density of 1.722 W cm −2 , outperforming most previously reported Pt-based catalysts. This study highlights a synergistic strategy between Pt nanoparticles and metal-nitrogen-carbon (M–N–C) supports to boost ORR performance, presenting a viable path toward advanced, cost-effective catalysts for energy conversion devices like PEMFCs and zinc-air batteries. Graphical A method of preparing Fe–NC loaded Pt nanoparticle catalysts is presented. The method is used to prepare Fe–NC substrate by loading iron complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline on carbon black and then Pt nanoparticles obtained by ethylene glycol reduction method are loaded on the Fe–NC substrate. The results show that the enhanced activity of the Pt@Fe-NC catalyst is due to the modification of the electronic structure of Fe on Pt in the Fe-NC support.