Edge-Abundant Porous Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Docking in Nitrogen-Rich Graphene Aerogel as Efficient and Durable Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction

A novel Fe3O4 nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel (denoted as Fe3O4@NGA) hybrid material with high porosity was prepared by using iron-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), [Fe3O(H2N-BDC)(3)] (H2N-BDC=2-aminoterephtalic acid), denoted as MIL-88B-NH2, as templates and nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel (NGA) as the substrate. The obtained Fe3O4 nanoparticles demonstrate a rich edge area with abundant exposed active sites and defects, indicating great potential for oxygen adsorption and activation. When used as an electrocatalyst in alkaline solution, the Pt-free Fe3O4@NGA exhibited excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance and dramatically enhanced durability and tolerance towards methanol compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst, revealing its great viability and potential in practical application.