Tri-metallic transition metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts derived bysacrificial support method synthesis

A series of tri-metallic oxygen reduction catalysts derived from pyrolyzed Fe-M1-M2(where M = Co, Ni,Cu and Mn) and 4-aminoantipyrine (Fe-M1-M2-AAPyr) were prepared using a sacrificial support method(SSM). The influence of the iron interacting with the two transition metals on the catalytic activity of theoxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was investigated. This series of materials was analyzed and character-ized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the BET method (BET) in order to establish structuralmorphology, and rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) experiments were performed to evaluate catalyticactivity. The results were then correlated to one another, thereby establishing a composition to functionrelationship. Data from the ring current was used to execute a mechanistic study of the materials for theORR, and it was found that supplementation of the iron with transition metals significantly improvedcatalytic activity, in addition to decreasing the hydrogen peroxide yield. The most pronounced enhance-ment of ORR catalysts is when the base transition metal Fe is supplemented with Co as a secondary metaland Cu or Mn are the tertiary metal in the system.