A co-pyrolysis route to synthesize nitrogen doped multiwall carbon nanotubes for oxygen reduction reaction

Nitrogen-doped multiwall carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs) have been synthesized by a co-pyrolysis route of iron(II) phthalocyanine (FePc) loaded and PEO20–PPO70–PEO20 retained in mesoporous silica. In this process, FePc was used as both Fe-catalyst, carbon and nitrogen sources, and P123-containing mesoporous silica was employed as both the substrate and carbon seeds/source for the growth of N-MWCNTs. The obtained samples have well-defined morphology and graphitic structure, and show high electrochemical catalytic activity and stability for oxygen reduction reaction, attributing to the highly graphitic structure and the pyridinic-type nitrogen in the N-MWCNTs. The power density of a single fuel cell using N-MWCNT as cathodic catalyst was measured to be 67.7% of that of a standard single cell using 40% Pt/C as cathodic catalyst.