  Five bimetallic electrocatalysts (ECs) including a carbon nitride (CN)
support are synthesised through the pyrolysis of a solid precursor obtained
through sol-gel and gel-plastic processes. The resulting ECs are characterised
through ICP-AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy) and
XPS (X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy); their performance and reaction
mechanism in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are evaluated with the
CV-TF-RRDE method (Cyclic Voltammetry Thin-Film Rotating Ring-Disk Electrode).
Special attention is given to XPS results with the aim to carry out a thorough
investigation of the surface concentration and the chemical environments of the
different elements, as well as providing information on the structure of the
metal components of the ECs and their interactions with the carbon nitride
support. The correlation of the results obtained from the chemical analyses,
XPS and the electrochemical studies allows to improve the fundamental
understanding of the factors controlling the ORR kinetics and reaction pathway
in bimetallic CN-supported ECs.
