Cost-effective M-N-C (M=Fe or Co) catalysts: behaviour at the cathode of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

A very promising option for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), catalysed by a non-Pt group metal (non-PGM), regards the use of Fe-N-C or Co-N-C catalysts. Herein, the metals, Fe or Co, were first mixed with a low-cost nitrogen precursor (EDTA) with the aim to create high density M-Nx moieties. In a second step, the Fe-EDTA and Co-EDTA complexes were mixed with a high surface oxidised carbon and studied as a function of the thermal treatment (800 °C or 1000 °C). The four samples (FeNC800, CoNC800, FeNC1000, and CoNC1000) were physicochemically and electrochemically characterized in order to get insights of the most important active sites for ORR and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFCs) applications.