# Highly active and stable Fe-N4 catalyst from unused natural resources for oxygen reduction reaction in acidic to alkaline medium

https://mdr.nims.go.jp/datasets/9e39e4a4-66f1-4c9e-be33-5269c221f900

## Files

- [J.Power.Sources(2025)NN_JournalPDF.pdf](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/12466e44-f9d2-4d28-8cc7-f73ca5b97c93/download) ([Detail](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/12466e44-f9d2-4d28-8cc7-f73ca5b97c93.md))

## Id

9e39e4a4-66f1-4c9e-be33-5269c221f900

## Local identifier



## Visibility

open_to_public

## State

published

## Created at

2026-01-19T08:07:55.069643Z

## Updated at

2026-01-20T00:46:32.588996Z

## Published at

2026-01-20T03:23:00.316166Z

## Doi



## First published url

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237784

## Date published

2025-07-01

## Recorded date published

2025-10

## Resource type

journal_article

## Manuscript type

vor

## Collection



## Title

- title: Highly active and stable Fe-N4 catalyst from unused natural resources for
    oxygen reduction reaction in acidic to alkaline medium
  title_type: original
  lang: en

## Description

- description: Iron–nitrogen–carbon (Fe–N–C) catalysts with Fe–N4 coordination are
    promising alternatives to platinum-based materials for the oxygen reduction reaction
    (ORR), yet their instability in acidic media limits practical applications. Herein,
    we report a sustainable Fe–N–C catalyst (RH-Fe-N) synthesized from rice husks
    and pyrite, serving as carbon and iron sources, respectively. This approach eliminates
    the need for complex precursors such as metal–organic frameworks, using a simple
    three-step carbonization method including hydrothermal carbonization. The resulting
    catalyst incorporates Fe atoms into a carbon matrix with self-doped amorphous
    SiO2 from rice husks. Spectroscopic and theoretical analysis reveals a unique
    fifth Fe–O coordination within the SiO2 matrix, enhancing site stability and ORR
    activity. The catalyst also demonstrates superior durability, with 17 % and 16
    % higher stability than Pt/C in acidic and neutral conditions, respectively. This
    work provides a low-cost, scalable, and eco-friendly strategy for developing high-performance
    ORR catalysts across all pH ranges, contributing to sustainable energy generation
    and circular economy goals.
  description_type: abstract
  lang: und

## Creator

- name: Edwin Osebe Nyangau
  role: author
- name: Hiroya Abe
  role: author
- name: Kazutoshi Haga
  role: author
- name: Chie Ooka
  role: author
- name: Kenji Hayashida
  role: author
- name: Naoka Nagamura
  role: author
  orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7697-8983
  organization: National Institute for Materials Science
- name: Kotaro Takeyasu
  role: author
- name: Masaru Watanabe
  role: author
- name: Yuta Nakayasu
  role: author

## Contact agent



## Publisher

organization: Elsevier BV

## Managing organization



## Keyword

- subject: Fe-N4
  schema: not_defined
- subject: Oxygen reduction reaction
  schema: not_defined
- subject: Catalyst stability
  schema: not_defined
- subject: Universal pH
  schema: not_defined
- subject: Iron-nitrogen-carbon catalyst
  schema: not_defined

## Rights

- identifier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  date_licensed: 2025-06-26

## Other identifier(s)



## Data origin

- data_origin_type: other

## Embargo



## Journal

- title: Journal of Power Sources
  issn: '03787753'
  volume: '653'
  article_number: '237784'

## Conference



## Related item



## Funding

- funder_name: Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan
- funder_name: Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency
- funder_name: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- identifier: 22K14533
  funder_name: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- funder_name: Tohoku University

## Instrument



## Instrument operator



## Instrument managing organization



## Measurement method



## Specimen



## Chemical composition



## Structure for specimen



## Structural feature for specimen



## Specific property for specimen



## Process for specimen treatment



## Computational method



## Energy level/transition state



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## Custom property



## Fileset

- id: 12466e44-f9d2-4d28-8cc7-f73ca5b97c93
  filename: J.Power.Sources(2025)NN_JournalPDF.pdf
  content_type: application/pdf
  size: 9425511
  md5: 0047ac9a8a8eb65b332dc01b777de3f2

## Thumbnail

fileset_id: 12466e44-f9d2-4d28-8cc7-f73ca5b97c93
filename: J.Power.Sources(2025)NN_JournalPDF.pdf