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Application of Low-Cost Me-N-C (Me = Fe or Co) Electrocatalysts Derived from EDTA in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs).

Carmelo Lo VecchioAntonino Salvatore AricòVincenzo Baglio
Published in: Materials (Basel, Switzerland) (2018)
Co-N-C and Fe-N-C electrocatalysts have been prepared by mixing Fe or Co precursors, ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) as a nitrogen source, and an oxidized carbon. These materials were thermally treated at 800 °C or 1000 °C under nitrogen flow to produce four samples, named CoNC8, CoNC10, FeNC8, and FeNC10. They have been physicochemically characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) analyses have been carried out to investigate the performance of the nonprecious cathode catalysts, using a low amount of Pt (0.7 mg/cm²) at the anode side. It appears that FeNC8 is the best performing low-cost cathode catalyst in terms of higher oxygen reduction reaction activity and methanol tolerance.
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