One-step scalable preparation of N-doped nanoporous carbon as a high-performance electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

N-doped porous carbon materials have been prepared by a simple one-step pyrolysis of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and melamine in the presence of KOH and Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O. The combination of the high specific area (1, 485 m²·g^–1), high nitrogen content (10.8%) and suitable graphitic degree results in catalysts exhibiting high activity (with onset and half-wave potentials of 0.88 and 0.79 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), respectively) and four-electron selectivity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium—comparable to a commercial Pt/C catalyst, but far exceeding Pt/C in stability and durability. Owing to their superb ORR performance, low cost and facile preparation, the catalysts have great potential applications in fuel cells, metal–air batteries, and ORR-related electrochemical industries.