Recent Progress on Fe/N/C Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Fuel Cells

In order to reduce the overall system cost, the development of inexpensive, high-performance and durable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)N, Fe-codoped carbon-based (Fe/N/C) electrocatalysts to replace currently used Pt-based catalysts has become one of the major topics in research on fuel cells. This review paper lays the emphasis on introducing the progress made over the recent five years with a detailed discussion of recent work in the area of Fe/N/C electrocatalysts for ORR and the possible Fe-based active sites. Fe-based materials prepared by simple pyrolysis of transition metal salt, carbon support, and nitrogen-rich small molecule or polymeric compound are mainly reviewed due to their low cost, high performance, long stability and because they are the most promising for replacing currently used Pt-based catalysts in the progress of fuel cell commercialization. Additionally, Fe-base catalysts with small amount of Fe or new structure of Fe/Fe3C encased in carbon layers are presented to analyze the effect of loading and existence form of Fe on the ORR catalytic activity in Fe-base catalyst. The proposed catalytically Fe-centered active sites and reaction mechanisms from various authors are also discussed in detail, which may be useful for the rational design of high-performance, inexpensive, and practical Fe-base ORR catalysts in future development of fuel cells.