Developing efficient and stable non-precious metal (NPM) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst in an environmentally benign and economically affordable way is highly desired but remains challenging. Manganese and nitrogen co-doped...

The research on low-cost, high-performance non platinum group metal (PGM) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts is of great significance for the rapid promotion of fuel cells’ practical applications. In this work, Mn-N-C catalyst with outstanding activity was prepared through using hydrogel formed by coordination of sodium alginate (SA) and Mn2+ as the precursor. During the preparation process g-C3N4 was added to improve the surface area enrich the pore structure of catalysts, as well as to function as the nitrogen source. Compare with commercial Pt/C catalyst, the optimum Mn-N-C catalyst possesses extraordinary ORR activity in alkaline electrolytes, with half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.90 V. In addition, the Mn-N-C catalyst also displays exceptional stability in alkaline and acidic electrolytes, much superior to Pt/C catalyst.

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