Highly Ordered Flexible Fibrous Membrane Electrode With Pt Nanoparticles Supported on Fe‐Containing N‐Doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

ABSTRACT Pt nanoparticles supported on porous carbon supports are widely used as electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), but conventional carbon supports suffer from corrosion and Pt agglomeration, which limit performance and durability. Herein, we address these issues by anchoring Pt nanoparticles on highly ordered Fe‐containing N‐doped carbon nanofibers (Pt‐FeNC). Owing to the flexible, ordered fibrous‐membrane architecture and an interfacial electronic interaction between Pt and the Fe─N─C support, charge transport and improves catalyst durability. As a result, Pt‐FeNC exhibits high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, with a half‐wave potential of 0.9 V. A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) employing the ordered fibrous membrane as a freestanding cathode delivers an approximately 33% higher peak power density than commercial Pt/C and only a 7.2% performance loss after 30,000 accelerated stress test cycles. The enhanced performance is attributed to the improved durability of the Fe‐containing N‐doped carbon support and the continuous electron‐ and mass‐transport pathways provided by the interconnected fibrous network.