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Polypyrrole‐Derived Fe−Co−N−C Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Performance in Alkaline Hydrogen and Ethanol Fuel Cells
Author(s) -
Osmieri Luigi,
Zafferoni Claudio,
Wang Lianqin,
Monteverde Videla Alessandro H. A.,
Lavacchi Alessandro,
Specchia Stefania
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.201800420
Subject(s) - catalysis , alkaline fuel cell , electrocatalyst , direct ethanol fuel cell , membrane , chemistry , hydrogen , polypyrrole , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , membrane electrode assembly , oxygen , fuel cells , materials science , electrode , electrochemistry , proton exchange membrane fuel cell , organic chemistry , electrolyte , biochemistry , engineering
Alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) have started to become more attractive in recent years due to the development of polymeric membranes with good anionic conductivity and durability. However, few studies investigating the performance of H 2 /O 2 fueled AMFCs and alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) with membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) fabricated with Pt‐group metal (PGM)‐free catalysts are available in the literature. In this paper, we synthesized and fully characterized a Fe−Co−N−C electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by a sacrificial method, using pyrrole as a unique and inexpensive precursor for N‐doped carbonaceous materials. Very good ORR activity and stability were obtained in alkaline conditions, most likely due to the presence of Co−Fe@C nanoparticles. We achieved a very high performance in an AMFC, 420 mW cm −2 at 60 °C, among the highest in the literature for PGM‐free catalysts, and a good performance in a passive DEFC, 28 mW cm −2 at room temperature.