Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon-Supported PtCo Nanoparticle Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction Prepared by a Dual-Template Method

A strategy for preparing nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NPC-Co) using a dual-template method is reported in this study. The catalyst (PtCo/NPC-Co) with high catalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was developed after adding PtCo metal nanoparticles (NPs). Polydopamine can complex metals, encapsulate templates, and reduce metals. Therefore, polydopamine was selected as the carbon and nitrogen source. Then, ZnO and Co NPs were used as a double template to obtain a carrier (NPC-Co) with a high mesoporous ratio and high N content. The PtCo alloy NPs are homogeneously anchored on the support by highly dispersed N atoms originating from NPC-Co. PtCo/NPC-Co exhibited excellent catalytic performance and durability for oxygen reduction. The mass activity of PtCo/NPC-Co is 4.8 times that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. Furthermore, PtCo/NPC-Co showed excellent durability. The mass activity of PtCo/NPC-Co decreased by only 23% compared with that of Pt/C (49%) after 20,000 cycles. The interaction effect between NPC-Co and PtCo NPs enhanced the overall electrocatalytic performance. Additionally, the ORR mechanism is discussed in this study to advance our understanding of the electrocatalytic structure–activity relationship.