Preparation and Structural Analysis of Heat Treated Co-and Fe-porphyrines as Cathode Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The following work presents the preparation and investigation of pyrolysed Co-porphyrine as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid media. A new preparation method which needs no addition of carbon supports, allows the structural investigation of the pyrolysis products by XPS, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry without any interferences. Rotating Disc Electrode measurements reveal the high ORR activity which is mainly caused by a well developed porosity and a suitable molecular structure of the formed carbon. Thermogravimetric investigation of the pyrolysis process shows that the addition of sulphur influences the carbonization of the porphyrine in a favorable way. It has been found that extended graphene layers present a particularly suitable matrix for highly active catalytic centers.

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