Non-noble metal catalyst on carbon ribbon for fuel cell cathode

A non-noble metal Fe/N/C catalyst is prepared by pyrolyzing the ball-milled mixture of graphitized carbon ribbon, iron precursor, and nitrogen precursor in ammonia. The Fe/N/C catalyst shows high ORR activity in alkaline solution, together with much improved stability compared with Pt/C catalyst. In the catalyst, FeN particles are covered by graphitic carbon layers. The activity is proposed to originate from the FeN and Fe/N/C sites. The stability is explained by the protecting effect of the carbon layers surrounding the FeN particles. The ORR mechanism on the Fe/N/C catalyst is proposed to be similar with Pt/C catalyst based on the Tafel plots. The Fe/N/C catalyst shows great potential in ORR in alkaline solution, while the performance in acid still needs improvement.