In this work a series of platinum group metal-free catalysts based on iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, silver and their bimetallic combinations are synthesized and their behavior for oxygen reduction in alkaline media is tested. A phthalocyanine-like ligand supported on carbon black serves as the nitrogen source and carbon support, respectively, for the catalysts. The as-prepared materials are thermally activated by pyrolysis at temperatures ranging from 600 °C to 1000 °C. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and stability in 0.1 M KOH are tested by rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) experiments. Several of the catalysts show ORR activities in the RRDE experiment that are superior to Pt, with Co, Co/Fe and Ag/Co being the best. All catalysts show remarkable stability, even when they are tested under air for 5000 RRDE cycles. RRDE experiments are also used to study the effect of catalyst loading and to determine reaction order. A thorough study of the catalyst performance in a single cell fuel cell test is conducted; exploring different methods to prepare the electrodes and the effects of catalyst loading, the catalyst-to-binder ratio and the removal of excess metal on the cell performance. Different methods of preparation of membrane electrode assemblies are also studied.

在这项工作中，合成了一系列基于铁，钴，铜，镍，银及其双金属组合的无铂族金属催化剂，并测试了它们在碱性介质中的氧还原行为。负载在炭黑上的酞菁类配体分别用作催化剂的氮源和碳载体。所制备的材料通过热解在600°C至1000°C的温度下热活化。通过旋转环盘电极（RRDE）实验测试了氧还原反应（ORR）活性和在0.1 M KOH中的稳定性。几种催化剂在RRDE实验中显示出ORR活性优于Pt，其中Co，Co / Fe和Ag / Co最好。即使在空气中进行了5000次RRDE循环测试，所有催化剂也都具有出色的稳定性。RRDE实验还用于研究催化剂负载量的影响并确定反应顺序。对单电池燃料电池测试中的催化剂性能进行了全面研究；探索制备电极的不同方法以及催化剂负载量，催化剂与粘合剂的比例以及去除多余金属对电池性能的影响。还研究了制备膜电极组件的不同方法。