A tungsten carbide/iron sulfide/FePt nanocomposite supported on nitrogen-doped carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

The development of multi-component electrocatalysts offers great promise to enhance catalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of fuel cells. Herein, we report a novel hybrid material consisting of multiple components of tungsten carbide (WC), iron sulfide (FeS), FePt and nitrogen-doped carbon (NC), i.e. WC/FeS/FePt/NC hybrid architecture, as a high-performance electrocatalyst for the ORR. Due to the attractive multiple promoting effects from these components, the present Pt-based electrocatalyst exhibits an excellent mass activity of 317 mA mg⁻¹ Pt (at 0.9 V vs. RHE), which is about 2.5 times as high as that of commercial Pt/C catalyst (125 mA mg⁻¹ Pt). Moreover, superior durability in acidic electrolyte of the WC/FeS/FePt/NC is also demonstrated for the ORR. Importantly, this work provides a new approach for the design of high-performance ORR electrocatalysts by integrating the promoting effects of multiple components (especially for carbides and sulphides) on noble metals, which presents promising potential application for fuel cells.