Electrocatalytic Strategies for Oxygen Reduction in Fuel Cells

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode remains the kinetic bottleneck in both proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). Traditional platinum‐based catalysts offer high activity but suffer from high cost, scarcity and limited durability under operating conditions, particularly in the presence of crossover fuels such as methanol. In response, research efforts have focused on engineering non‐precious metal catalysts, advanced supports and nanostructures to bridge the performance gap. Key strategies include the design of transition metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) materials with atomically dispersed active sites, heteroatom‐doped carbons to tailor electronic structure, core–shell architectures to enhance stability and methanol tolerance, and metal–organic‐framework (MOF) derivatives to achieve high site density and uniform dispersion. Advances in synthesis—ranging from dual‐templating and controlled pyrolysis to bio‐derived precursors—have enabled fine tuning of porosity, conductivity and active‐site environment. Complementary strategies in electrode fabrication, such as optimisation of ionomer distribution in catalyst layers, have further improved mass transport and interfacial kinetics. Collectively, these electrocatalytic innovations underpin the practical deployment of fuel cells for automotive, portable and stationary power applications, contributing to global decarbonisation goals.

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Electrocatalytic Strategies for Oxygen Reduction in Fuel Cells publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrocatalytic strategies for oxygen reduction in fuel cells across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrocatalyst: A material that accelerates an electrochemical reaction at an electrode–electrolyte interface.

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR): The cathodic process in which O₂ is electrochemically reduced to water or hydroxide.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC): A fuel cell using a polymer membrane that conducts protons in an acidic environment.

Anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC): A fuel cell using a polymer membrane that conducts hydroxide ions in an alkaline environment.

M–N–C catalyst: A non-precious metal electrocatalyst composed of transition metal atoms coordinated to nitrogen sites within a carbon framework.

References

1. Tailoring MOF structure via iron decoration to enhance ORR in alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Chemical Engineering Journal (2023).
2. Biomass waste-derived nitrogen and iron co-doped nanoporous carbons as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Electrochimica Acta (2021).
3. Transition Metal–Nitrogen–Carbon (M–N–C) Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Insights on Synthesis and Performance in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells. ChemEngineering (2019).