Synthesis of CoFe/CoFeO incorporated porous carbon catalysts molten salt method: applications in the oxygen reduction reaction and 4-nitrophenol reduction.

Developing high-performance, multifunctional non-precious metal catalysts is essential for enhancing the efficiency of future energy utilization. In this study, four types of magnetic, recyclable CoFe/CoFeO incorporated porous carbon composite catalysts were synthesized using citric acid as the carbon source and ammonium chloride (NHCl) as the salt medium. Iron and cobalt salts, in four different proportions, were uniformly incorporated using freeze-drying technology and subsequently processed through calcination. Among the synthesized catalysts, CoFe/CoFeO@NC-1, demonstrated outstanding catalytic reduction performance, with a reaction rate constant () of 0.031 min, along with excellent cycle stability for 4-NP. The resulting CoFe/CoFeO@NC-3 catalyst exhibited good ORR activity in an alkaline medium ( = 0.99 V, = 0.83 V, = -5.2 mA cm), along with long-term durability and resistance to methanol poisoning. These hybrid materials hold promise as non-precious metal electrocatalysts for fuel cell ORRs and introduce a new class of catalytic candidates for 4-NP reduction.