Abstract:
To replace the precious metal ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) electrocatalysts, many TM (transition metal) and N-doped carbon composites have been proposed in last decade and acquire a rapid development as the promising non-precious metal catalysts. Herein, Ketjenblack carbon (KB) is adopted as the precursor and fully mixed with the polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) of HvimNO
3 and Fe(NO
3)
3. This mixture is thermally calcinated into a porous Fe, N co-doped carbon material denoted as the FeO
x-N/C at 900 °C. Due to that the PIL of HvimNO
3 can strongly combine and disperse Fe
3+ ions, and NO
3− will thermally pyrolysis to form the porous structure, the FeO
x-N/C catalyst displays high electrocatalytic activity toward ORR in both 0.1 M KOH and 0.5 M H
2SO
4 electrolytes. Subsequently, the FeO
x-N/C is used as the catalyst to assemble a zinc-air battery (ZAB) exhibiting a peak power density of 185 mW·cm
−2. Consequently, the superior electrocatalytic activity, wide pH range, and facile preparation approach jointly make the FeO
x-N/C a promising electrocatalyst for the fuel cell and metal-air battery in the future.