Mechanistic Studies On Fe-PEI Derived Non-PGM Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction

Recently substantial progress in development of non-PGM catalysts for oxygen reduction was reported [1, 2]. The activity and durability of those materials in both RDE and MEA tests approached ~40% of the Pt/C values. However, in order to further improve non-PGM ORR catalyst the deeper understanding the nature of active sites as well as mechanism of oxygen reduction is required. Recently, UNM group published synthesis of Fe-PEI catalyst by sacrificial support method (SSM) [3]. Later it was shown that SSM is flexible method ad can be used for synthesis of different materials for energy applications [3-10]. Herein, we report the detailed mechanistic studies on Fe-PEI derived catalyst synthesized by conventional method. The catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation of iron and PEI precursors onto the surface of carbon material, followed by high temperature pyrolysis in inert atmosphere. The morhology of Fe-PEI catalyst is shown on Figure 1.