Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping

Abstract The development of platinum group metal (PGM)‐free catalysts is essential to advance the wide application of fuel cells. Single‐atom Fe─N─C catalysts are one type of promising PGM‐free catalysts that can replace the expensive Pt/C catalyst for the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction....

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Main Authors: Zhexin Pan, Yiming Zhu, Yihong Liu, Wei‐Hsiang Huang, Yujie Cui, Yang Zhao, Menghao Yang, Hongfei Cheng, Nicolas Alonso‐Vante, Jiwei Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2025-07-01
Series:Advanced Materials Interfaces
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500253
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author Zhexin Pan
Yiming Zhu
Yihong Liu
Wei‐Hsiang Huang
Yujie Cui
Yang Zhao
Menghao Yang
Hongfei Cheng
Nicolas Alonso‐Vante
Jiwei Ma
author_facet Zhexin Pan
Yiming Zhu
Yihong Liu
Wei‐Hsiang Huang
Yujie Cui
Yang Zhao
Menghao Yang
Hongfei Cheng
Nicolas Alonso‐Vante
Jiwei Ma
author_sort Zhexin Pan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The development of platinum group metal (PGM)‐free catalysts is essential to advance the wide application of fuel cells. Single‐atom Fe─N─C catalysts are one type of promising PGM‐free catalysts that can replace the expensive Pt/C catalyst for the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction. However, Fe─N─C catalysts still suffer from poor stability due to the inevitable Fenton reaction. In this work, a doping strategy is demonstrated to alter the electronic structure around the catalytic sites and significantly improve their catalytic activity. In particular, the phosphorous‐doped Fe─N─C catalyst (P─Fe─N─C) achieves a half‐wave potential of 0.885 V versus RHE in 0.1 m KOH and demonstrates excellent stability, with only a 7 mV decay in the half‐wave potential after 10 000 cyclic voltammetry cycles, superior to that of boron‐doped one (B─Fe─N─C). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further confirm that heteroatom doping favors the ORR process, highlighting the potential of this catalyst for advanced energy applications.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2196-7350
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Wiley-VCH
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series Advanced Materials Interfaces
spelling doaj-art-ed4442e971d64ef5be112fb03c05c0ab2025-08-20T03:51:08ZengWiley-VCHAdvanced Materials Interfaces2196-73502025-07-011213n/an/a10.1002/admi.202500253Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom DopingZhexin Pan0Yiming Zhu1Yihong Liu2Wei‐Hsiang Huang3Yujie Cui4Yang Zhao5Menghao Yang6Hongfei Cheng7Nicolas Alonso‐Vante8Jiwei Ma9Shanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaNational Synchrotron Radiation Research Center Hsinchu 300092 TaiwanShanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaDalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy (DNL) Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 P. R. ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaCollege of Smart Energy Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200241 P. R. ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory for R&D and Application of Metallic Functional Materials Institute of New Energy for Vehicles School of Materials Science and Engineering Tongji University Shanghai 201804 P. R. ChinaAbstract The development of platinum group metal (PGM)‐free catalysts is essential to advance the wide application of fuel cells. Single‐atom Fe─N─C catalysts are one type of promising PGM‐free catalysts that can replace the expensive Pt/C catalyst for the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction. However, Fe─N─C catalysts still suffer from poor stability due to the inevitable Fenton reaction. In this work, a doping strategy is demonstrated to alter the electronic structure around the catalytic sites and significantly improve their catalytic activity. In particular, the phosphorous‐doped Fe─N─C catalyst (P─Fe─N─C) achieves a half‐wave potential of 0.885 V versus RHE in 0.1 m KOH and demonstrates excellent stability, with only a 7 mV decay in the half‐wave potential after 10 000 cyclic voltammetry cycles, superior to that of boron‐doped one (B─Fe─N─C). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further confirm that heteroatom doping favors the ORR process, highlighting the potential of this catalyst for advanced energy applications.https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500253Fe single‐atom catalystfuel cellheteroatom dopingoxygen reduction reactionPGM free
spellingShingle Zhexin Pan
Yiming Zhu
Yihong Liu
Wei‐Hsiang Huang
Yujie Cui
Yang Zhao
Menghao Yang
Hongfei Cheng
Nicolas Alonso‐Vante
Jiwei Ma
Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping
Advanced Materials Interfaces
Fe single‐atom catalyst
fuel cell
heteroatom doping
oxygen reduction reaction
PGM free
title Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping
title_full Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping
title_fullStr Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping
title_full_unstemmed Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping
title_short Improved ORR Performance of Precious Metal‐Free Fe Single‐Atom Catalysts by Heteroatom Doping
title_sort improved orr performance of precious metal free fe single atom catalysts by heteroatom doping
topic Fe single‐atom catalyst
fuel cell
heteroatom doping
oxygen reduction reaction
PGM free
url https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500253
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