Egg derived nitrogen-self-doped carbon/carbon nanotube hybrids as noble-metal-free catalysts for oxygen reduction

Currently, the development of nitrogen (N) doped carbon based non-precious metal ORR catalysts has become one of the most attractive topics in low temperature fuel cells. Here, we demonstrate a green synthesis route of N-self-doped carbon materials by using eggs as N sources combining with iron sources and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CE-Fe-MWNT). After carbonized, such hybrid materials possess an outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards ORR comparable to the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media, and both superior stability and fuel (methanol and CO) tolerance than the commercial Pt/C catalyst, which provide a promising alternative to noble metal catalysts by using abundant natural biological resources. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.