Effect of Heat-Treatment on the Activity of Nickel Phthalocyanine Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid and Alkaline Electrolytes

Effect of heat-treatment on the activity of nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied in both acid and alkaline electrolytes. The catalytic activity was found to depend strongly on the electrolyte and heat treatment temperature. High ORR activity was demonstrated on 40%NiPc/C electrode in 0.1M KOH solution, and the heat-treatment of 800oC is optimal for the catalyst synthesized. Further using rotating disk electrode (RDE) measurements and Koutechy-Levich analysis, the overall electron transfer number in the catalyzed ORR on 40%NiPc/C was found to be 2.8, suggesting the catalyzed ORR proceeds via both the 2e- transfer reduction and the 4e- transfer reduction.