Frontiers in Chemistry (Sep 2019)
Supramolecular Iron Complex Formed Between Nitrogen Riched Phenanthroline Derivative and Iron With Improved Oxygen Reduction Activity in Alkaline Electrolyte
Abstract
In this work, the synthesis and evaluation of a new type non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst is reported. The catalyst is a complex containing iron ions and multiple N active sites, which displayed excellent oxygen reduction activity in alkaline medium. 2-(2-(4-(1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-2-yl)pyridin-2-yl)pyridin-4-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (PIPhen) was synthesized and used as a ligand to form a rich nitrogen iron coordination complex (Fe-PIPhen), and the complex was then loaded onto the carbon powder to form the target catalyst of Fe-PIPhen/C. The physical characterization of the catalyst was conducted by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis etc. Electrochemical characterizations were realized by taking cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE). The results show that Fe-PIPhen/C possesses the good performance; it exhibits a high electrocatalytic activity, which is mainly via a four electron ORR pathway, with a low hydrogen peroxide yield of 2.58%. And, the average electron transfer number of 3.93 was obtained in alkaline electrolyte. In summary, Fe-PIPhen/C will likely become a promising alternative to Pt catalyst in fuel cell.
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