Facile one-step reduction synthesis of non-noble CuFeCo ternary alloy catalysts for efficient ORR

The high cost of traditional noble metal catalysts hinders the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). In this study, a non-noble CuFeCo ternary alloy catalyst was prepared via a facile one-step reduction method. Its microstructure was characterized by SEM and XRD, while oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and stability were evaluated through various electrochemical tests. Results show that the catalyst exhibits uniform dispersion with a successful synthesis of the target product. CuFeCo ternary catalyst demonstrates good ORR activity, with an onset potential close to that of Pt/C, an average electron transfer number approaching 4, and excellent reaction selectivity. The Tafel slope of 91.96 mV7dec −1 further confirmed kinetics comparable to Pt/C, suggesting a similar ORR mechanism. Stability testing shows that the performance remains stable after the stability test. This study confirms that CuFeCo ternary non-precious metal catalyst combines the advantages of high activity, stability, and low cost, providing an important reference for replacing noble metal catalysts and advancing fuel cell commercialization.