Heteroatom-doped carbon nanorods with improved electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction in an acidic medium

High-performance heteroatom-doped carbon catalysts with large surface areas were prepared by pyrolyzing nanorod precursors that had been synthesized by polymerizing a mixture of aniline (An) and β-naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA). The catalysts were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, and elemental analysis. We intensively investigated how the catalysts’ structure and catalytic performance were affected by (i) the ratio of NSA to An and (ii) the addition of Fe. The catalysts retained their nanorod morphology after pyrolysis. The optimal NSA/An ratio was 3/2 and the optimal Fe content was 3 wt%. The catalysts showed excellent activity toward oxygen reduction in an acidic medium, with the onset potential, half-wave potential, and limiting current density values reaching 0.86, 0.73 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode), and 5.28 mA cm−2, respectively. We suggest that the catalysts’ high performance may be due to the co-doping effects of nitrogen, sulfur, and iron, as well as the large surface area created by the nanorod structures.