Tailored Porous Carbon Xerogels for Fe-N-C Catalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

ABSTRACT: Atomically dispersed Fe-N-C catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been synthesized with a template-free method using carbon xerogels (CXG) as a porous matrix. The porosity of the CXGs is easily tunable through slight variations in the synthesis procedure. In this work, CXGs are prepared by formaldehyde and resorcinol polymerization, modifying the pH during the process. Materials with a broad range of porous structures are obtained: from non-porous to micro-/meso-/macroporous materials. The porous properties of CXG have a direct effect on Fe-N-CXG activity against ORR in an acidic medium (0.5 M H₂SO₄). Macropores and wide mesopores are vital to favor the mass transport of reagents to the active sites available in the micropores, while narrower mesopore

SUBMITTER: Alvarez-Manuel L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10780504 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature