Designing Co-N/C Cathode Catalysts with Dense Atomic Cobalt Sites for Enhanced PEMFC Performance.

ABSTRACT: Metal-nitrogen/carbon (M-N/C) catalysts, particularly those incorporating Fe, Co, or Mn, are among the most promising non-platinum group catalysts for the acidic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. This study reports a Co-N/C catalyst featuring high (3 wt%) cobalt content exclusively present as atomic sites. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis confirms a tetrapyridinic Co-N₄ coordination environment in the optimized (3.0)Co-N/C^Δ catalyst. The high cobalt loading leads to a significant density of electrochemically accessible active sites, 3.58 × 10¹⁹ sites g^-1, quantified via the nitrite stripping method. The catalyst demonstrates excellent ORR activity in a rotating ring-disk electrode setup, achieving a half-wave potenti

SUBMITTER: Gong M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12786296 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature