Pyrolyzed Fe‐N‐C catalysts templated by Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Understanding the role of N‐functions and Fe3C on the ORR activity and mechanism

Electrospinning of Magnetite-Polyacrylonitrile Composites for the Production of Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysts

In this study, electrospun carbon fiber electrodes were prepared by the carbonization of PAN-Fe3O4 electrospun fibers at 800 °C for their use as catalysts in the oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline electrolyte. Magnetic nanofiber mats were fabricated using a needle-free electrospinning method by incorporating magnetic nanoparticles into a polymer solution. Electrochemical tests revealed that the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is optimized at an intermediate magnetite loading of 30% wt. These catalysts not only show better performance compared to their counterparts but also achieve high selectivity to water at low potentials. The onset and half-wave potentials of 0.92 and 0.76 V shown by these samples are only slightly behind those of the commercial Pt 20%-carbon black ORR catalyst. The obtained results point out that the electrospinning of PAN-Fe3O4 solutions allows the preparation of advanced N-Fe ORR catalysts in fibrillar morphology.