Cobaltporphyrin-adsorbed carbon black: Highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

meso-Substituted cobalt porphyrins adsorbed on carbon black were prepared as catalysts for the electroreduction of O₂. The catalyst, which was prepared by using a homogenizer in mixing cobalt tetraethylporphyrin and carbon black, gave rise to electroreduction of O₂ at a remarkably positive potential (E_p = 0.45 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE) and showed a high selectively for the four-electron reduction (n=3.8). Electrochemical study and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis revealed that the adsorbed face-to-face dimeric aggregates of cobalt porphyrin molecules were highly efficient catalysts for electroreduction of O₂.