Electric Field Polarized Fe-N Functionalized Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Catalyst for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Low-cost noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are useful for future energy storage and conversion devices, and other technologies. In this work, iron (Fe)-nitrogen (N) functionalized graphene oxide (Fe-N-GO) nanosheets have been synthesized and studied for ORR properties in alkaline solution. We utilized a multi-layer/multi-polarization method to study the DC electric field polarization effect on the electrocatalytic properties of the Fe-N-GO catalyst. The poling effect with DC electric field was created on the catalyst ink drop-casted on a polished glassy carbon working electrode, resulting in more compact electrocatalyst electrode. Compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst, the polarized Fe-N-GO catalyst exhibited similar ORR catalytic activity along with superior stability in alkaline media.