Morphology-Controlled Nitrogen-Containing Polymers as Synthetic Precursors for Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction Fe/N/C Cathode Catalysts

Nitrogen-containing aromatic polymers such as polyimide are known for their high thermal stability. While they have been widely used in industry, their relevance to catalysis is still quite limited. In recent years, nitrogen-containing polymers have been explored as precursors of nitrogen-doped carbonaceous materials, which are particularly attractive as non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen reduction in fuel cells. The high thermal stability of nitrogen-containing polymers contributes to an effective control over the morphology of the resulting carbonaceous catalysts. This review article provides an overview of the recent progress on the research and development of Fe/N/C oxygen reduction catalysts prepared from morphology-controlled nitrogen-containing polymers.