Low-cost and high performance electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for novel energy systems

such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells

direct methanol fuel cells

and etc. In this work

a N and S codoped porous grapheme-like catalyst was obtained using polyacrylonitrile and sulfur as precursors through a facile pyrolysis procedure. The catalyst exhibited excellent performance in alkaline medium

with a half-wave potential 32 mV more positive than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Beside excellent ORR performance

the catalyst also exhibited outstanding methanol tolerance

stability

as well as high catalytic efficiency. By studying the relationship among catalysts structures

compositions and its catalytic performance

we found that the unique compositions

morphologies and porous structures induced by sulfur addition should be the origin to the catalysts high ORR performance.