Oxygen-doped carbonaceous polypyrrole nanotubes-supported Ag nanoparticle as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solution

[Display omitted] •Ag nanoparticles loaded on OCPN were synthesized as an ORR catalyst.•This work demonstrated that the oxygen in the catalyst can facilitate the ORR.•The high catalytic activity is ascribed to the synergistic effect of the Ag nanoparticles and the unique properties of OCPN.•The OCPN can be a promising supporting material for low-cost ORR catalyst. Developing low-cost and high-performance non-precious metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for fuel cells is highly desirable but still full of challenges. In this work, oxygen-doped carbonaceous polypyrrole nanotubes (OCPN) are synthesized by a KOH-activated assisted method and Ag nanoparticles are grown in situ on OCPN. The resultant Ag/OCPN catalysts possess comparable excellent activity with commercial Pt/C (onset potential is −0.003 V vs. SCE) in alkaline solution, which is ascribed to the synergistic effect of Ag nanoparticles and the unique properties of OCPN. The best ORR property of Ag/OCPN demonstrated that the oxygen in the catalyst can facilitate the ORR. Moreover, superior stability and methanol tolerance deserve to be mentioned.