Single- and bimetal nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts show promising laboratory ORR performance

Researchers have used a single pyrolysis process to prepare iron, nickel and manganese catalysts, as well as nickel–iron and manganese–iron combinations, supported on nitrogen-doped carbon for the oxygen reduction reaction, a process relevant to fuel cells and metal–air batteries. In laboratory electrochemical testing, the iron-only catalyst Fe/NC and the manganese–iron catalyst MnFe/NC produced the most positive onset potential in the series, reaching 0.900 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and approaching the Pt/C benchmark. The work is a materials-synthesis and catalyst-characterization study, not a demonstration in a complete energy device.

The synthesis involved pyrolyzing graphitic carbon nitride, glucose and metal precursors to generate nitrogen-doped carbon supports containing dispersed metal oxide species. This route yielded three single-metal materials—Fe/NC, Ni/NC and Mn/NC—and two bimetal materials, NiFe/NC and MnFe/NC. Material characterization showed that the metal oxide species were dispersed within the nitrogen-doped carbon matrix. The results therefore support the method as a facile route to a family of supported catalysts with different metal combinations.

Catalyst activity varied across the series. Fe/NC and MnFe/NC shared the highest reported onset potential, 0.900 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. The remaining onset potentials were 0.873 V for Mn/NC, 0.842 V for NiFe/NC and 0.800 V for Ni/NC. These values describe the potentials at which oxygen-reduction activity was detected in the reported electrochemical evaluation. They place the two leading materials near the study’s Pt/C benchmark, while the full comparison also shows that catalyst composition was associated with substantial differences in measured performance.

All five synthesized catalysts followed what the investigators described as a favorable quasi-four-electron transfer pathway during oxygen reduction. The supplied findings do not specify the detailed reaction intermediates, selectivity measurements or kinetic parameters underlying that assignment, so the result should be understood as a reported characteristic of the catalyst series rather than as a complete mechanistic description. The study also found that the bimetal catalysts exhibited excellent reported ORR durability, with minimal current degradation and stable chronoamperometry profiles that were better than those of the single-metal catalysts.

Overall, the research identifies two complementary outcomes from the tested catalyst series: Fe/NC and MnFe/NC delivered the highest onset potentials, while NiFe/NC and MnFe/NC showed the strongest reported durability among the materials examined. The evidence comes from laboratory synthesis, material characterization and electrochemical testing, and the supplied findings do not establish performance in a complete fuel cell or metal–air battery. Nevertheless, the results show that a straightforward pyrolysis route can produce both single-metal and bimetal catalysts supported on nitrogen-doped carbon with promising ORR activity and stability under the conditions assessed.

Subject of Research: Laboratory synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of single- and bimetallic nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Article Title: Facile synthesis of single- and bimetal catalysts supported on nitrogen-doped carbon for the oxygen reduction reaction

Article References: Kesuma, A. R. D., Saraswati, T. E., Napporn, T. W., Santria, A., & Wibowo, A. H. (2026). Facile synthesis of single- and bimetal catalysts supported on nitrogen-doped carbon for the oxygen reduction reaction. Journal of Materials Science, 61(40), 30598-30612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-026-13493-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10853-026-13493-2

Keywords: oxygen reduction reaction, nitrogen-doped carbon, iron catalyst, manganese catalyst, nickel catalyst, bimetallic catalysts, electrocatalysis, pyrolysis, chronoamperometry, fuel-cell materials, Facile, synthesis