ZIF-8-derived Fe-C catalysts: relationship between structure and catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction

Masnica, Jakub P, Sibt-e-Hassan, Syed, Potgieter-Vermaak, Sanja, Regmi, Yagya N, King, Laurie A and Tosheva, Lubomira (2023) ZIF-8-derived Fe-C catalysts: relationship between structure and catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction. Green Carbon, 1 (2). pp. 160-169. ISSN 2950-1555

Preview

Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of carbonized ZIF-8 (CZ) and its Fe-doped derivatives, CZ-A (doped with ammonium iron (II) sulphate) and CZ-B (doped with iron (II) acetate), were examined in both acidic (0.5 M H2SO4) and basic (0.1 M KOH) electrolytes using a rotating disk electrode setup. These data show that the ORR activity of the Fe-doped catalysts is higher than that of pure CZ, with a higher activity in basic than acidic electrolyte. Extensive materials characterization highlights important differences in the sample crystallinity, morphology, porosity, and chemical composition as a function of the deployed precursor. The performance of the prepared catalysts is also impacted by the Fe precursor selection, highlighting the importance of such synthetic parameters in controlling the density and identify of Fe-Nx active sites. These results demonstrate the potential application of Fe-doped carbonized ZIF-8 catalysts for the ORR in basic electrolyte and offer important knowledge for the future design of non-precious metal fuel cell electrocatalysts.