Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts Derived from Iron Salt and Benzimidazole and Aminobenzimidazole Precursors and Their Application in Microbial Fuel Cell Cathodes

In this work, benzimidazole (BZIM) and aminobenzimidazole (ABZIM) were used as organic-rich in nitrogen precursors during the synthesis of iron–nitrogen–carbon (Fe–N–C) based catalysts by sacrificial support method (SSM) technique. The catalysts obtained, denoted Fe-ABZIM and Fe-BZIM, were characterized morphologically and chemically through SEM, TEM, and XPS. Moreover, these catalysts were initially tested in rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) configuration, resulting in similar high electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) having low hydrogen peroxide generated (