The performance of an atomically dispersed oxygen reduction catalyst prepared by γ-CD-MOF integration with FePc

Here, a series of Fe/N/C catalysts with different proportions and pyrolysis temperatures are prepared by co-pyrolysis of melamine with a γ-cyclodextrin metal–organic framework (γ-CD-MOF) containing iron(ii) phthalocyanine (FePc). Due to the restriction effect of the host and guest at the molecular level, γ-CD-MOF can effectively avoid the π–π stacking of FePc and restrain the agglomeration of Fe atoms during pyrolysis. The phases and structures of the catalysts are characterized, which proves that the obtained catalyst has a three-dimensional porous and internal cavity structure with abundant surface area (1055.317 m(2) g(−1)) and Fe is atomically dispersed in nitrogen-doped carbon. The onset potential (0.988 V vs. RHE) and half-wave potential (0.846 V vs. RHE) of FePc@CD/M (1 : 20)-1000 are superior to those of a commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst. FePc@CD/M (1 : 20)-1000 also exhibits an approximately four-electron (3.84) transfer process, good stability and excellent methanol tolerance.