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Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell technology, together with various batteries and super capacitors have been recognized as the most promising devices for next-generation energy technologies, particularly for portable, stationary, and transportation applications [1,2]. As yet, it is still facing a big challenge before this technology can make any meaningful preparation into common use, mainly coming from the high cost of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) [2]. The efficient, durable and inexpensive alternatives to Pt and Pt-based catalysts have no doubt the important target of research groups around the globe. Among those candidates, pyrolyzed transition metal and nitrogen-containing complexes supported on carbon materials (M-N/C), are considered as the most promising ORR catalysts, owing to their high activity and stability [3,4]. In this work, iron chloride, iron sulfate, iron nitrate and iron acetate are investigated as the Fe precursor to study the influence of anions on the ORR performance of the as-prepared catalysts. Aminopyrine (Apyr) with a high content of nitrogen and favorable combination of aromatic ring and nitrogen-containing groups, was chosen as the nitrogen source. Besides, aminopyrine is a micromolecule, thus it is more flexible than macrocycle complexes and nitrogen containing polymers to form a proper metal-nitrogen(M-N) coordination on the carbon supports resulting from heat treatment. Vulcan-BP2000 carbon particles with a high surface area of ~1500 m² g^-1, were chosen carbon support.

Anion effects;non precious catalyst;Oxygen Reduction Reaction