Graphene‐Supported Mesoporous Carbons Prepared with Thermally Removable Templates as Efficient Catalysts for Oxygen Electroreduction

Graphene‐supported mesoporous carbons with rich nitrogen self‐doped active sites (N‐MC/rGO) are prepared by direct pyrolysis of a graphene‐oxide‐supported polymer composite embedded with massive, evenly distributed amorphous FeOOH that serve as efficient thermally removable templates. The resulting N‐MC/rGO catalysts exhibit high surface areas and apparent electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. Among the series, the sample prepared at 800 °C displays the best performance with a more positive onset potential, higher limiting currents, much higher stability, and stronger poison resistance than commercial Pt/C. This is ascribed to the synergetic functions of the highly conductive graphene support and the mesoporous N‐doped carbons that effectively impede the restacking of the graphene sheets and enhance the exposure of the rich nitrogen self‐doped active sites.