Performance of a Fe-N-C catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in direct methanol fuel cell: cathode formulation optimization and short-term durability

A non-noble metal (NNM) catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was synthesized using Fe(II)-phthalocyanine as unique source of Fe, N, and C, and SBA-15 ordered mesoporous silica as templating agent, resulting in a material with an extremely high specific surface area and a high microporosity(around 50%). FESEM, FTIR and Raman analyses were performed to investigate the morphology and the physicochemical properties of the catalyst. The ORR activity and the methanol tolerance were tested in rotating disk electrode (RDE), and the selectivity towards a complete 4-electrons reduction was investigated by rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) test and hydrogen peroxide reduction test in RDE, showing very promising results. Thus, the Fe-N-C catalyst was tested at the cathode of a DMFC after determination of the optimal electrode formulation regarding catalyst loading and Nafion®content, showing a maximum power density of 20 mW cm−2 at 90◦C. A short term durability test to assess the behavior of both the Fe-N-C and the Pt/C catalysts was conducted on the DMFC, showing a better performance of the non-noble catalyst. Thus, the Fe-N-C catalyst is a potential good candidate to be used as catalytic material for DMFC cathode, in alternative to Pt. The performance in a H2/O2 PEMFC was tested as well, showing a power density of 105 mW cm−2 at 60◦C.