Ordered hierarchically porous carbon codoped with iron and nitrogen as electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction.

N-doped carbon catalysts have attracted great attention as potential alternatives to expensive Pt-based catalysts used in fuel cells. Herein, an ordered hierarchically porous carbon codoped with N and Fe (Fe-NOHPC) is prepared by an evaporation-induced self-assembly process followed by carbonization under ammonia. The soft template and Fe species promote the formation of the porous structure and facilitate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).The catalyst possesses an ordered hierarchically porous structure with a large surface area (1172.5 m(2) g(-1) ) and pore volume of 1.03 cm(3) g(-1) . Compared to commercial 20% Pt/C, it exhibits better ORR catalytic activity and higher stability as well as higher methanol tolerance in an alkaline electrolyte, which demonstrates its potential use in fuel cells as a nonprecious cathode catalyst. The N configuration, Fe species, and pore structure of the catalysts are believed to correlate with its high catalytic activity.