Background: The preparation method is based on a sacrificial supports method combined with a tuning of M-N-C morphological structural and electronic properties to achieve high performance for oxygen reduction reactions in fuel cell operations. The synthesized catalysts made using this approach perform well in alkaline acid and neutral media are highly durable and inexpensive to manufacture. Technology Description: University of New Mexico researchers have developed a method of preparing metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) networks derived from amino-nitriles of materials as a source of carbon and nitrogen and metal soluble salts as a source of metal. The preparation method is based on a sacrificial supports method combined with a tuning of M-N-C morphological structural and electronic properties to achieve high performance for oxygen reduction reactions in fuel cell operations. The synthesized catalysts made using this approach perform well in alkaline acid and neutral media are highly durable and inexpensive to manufacture. Applications: Fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) stacks and fuel cell systems applications
1) Amino-nitrile precursors are plentiful and readily available 2) High performance in alkaline acid and neutral media 3) Highly durable 4) Inexpensive to manufacture 5) Could be used in electrochemistry applications after tuning of their properties in way to increase their stability activity and decrease the costs of precursors