ZIF-8 derived bimetallic Fe–Ni-Nanoporous carbon for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction

The development of highly efficient nοn-nοble metaӏ catalysts for (ОRR) in PEMFCs is at the heart of the research, yet their performance is not satisfactory. The Fe–N active sites enclosed in carbon matrix are generally agreed to be the most promising active sites for ORR. In view of this, further effort is made to increase the Fe–N active sites. Here we present the fabrication of novel FeNi bimetallic electrоcatalyst obtained from ZIF, which consists of FeNi nanоallоys incorporated in N-doped carbon (FeNi-NC) featuring carbon nanotubes and porous carbon demonstrates outstanding results for ОRR. The Fe–N and Ni–N active sites synergistically enhance the ORR activity of FeNi-NC catalyst. The FeNi-NC showed remarkable performance in KОH with the half-wave and onset potential of 0.89 V and 0.99 V vs RHE, respectively. This catalyst shows exceptional stability in methanol equivalent to Pt/C commercial. The FeNi-NC retained 71%, while Pt/C commercial retained only 59% of its original current density. The exceptional stability and activity might be associated with the interplay among FeNi active sites and N-doped carbon, the distinct nanо-structure made up of porous carbon and carbon nanotubes with a high graphitization degree.