Iron Phthalocyanine Research Articles

Sensors based on iron phthalocyanine films decorated with platinum nanoparticles and carbon rods for electrochemical detection of nitrites

The iron phthalocyanine derivatives (FePc) are regarded as active layers of sensors. The films of iron phthalocyanines, viz. FePc, FePcF4, and FePcCl4 were deposited onto glassy carbon electrodes. Annealed film (a-FePc) were decorated with platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) and carbon rods using facile metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), resulting in a series of Pt/a-FePc heterostructures. The composition, distribution and sizes of PtNPs and carbon rods in the heterostructures were investigated. The electrochemical characteristics of the series of FePc, FePcF4, and FePcCl4 and Pt/a-FePc samples were determined in 0.1 M PBS solution using cyclic voltammetry (CV, 0.25–2.00 mM), amperometry (CA 0.5–30 μM), and impedance spectroscopy. The Pt/a-FePc heterostructures with a Pt content of 21–63 μM/cm2, which consisted of uniformly distributed PtNPs with a size of 9–12 nm and carbon rods up to 1 μm in length, demonstrated the excellent electron transfer characteristics Synergetic combination of the properties of 3 components (a-FePc, PtNPs or carbon rods) resulted in the improvement of the performance of Pt/a-FePc sensors. The Pt/a-FePc electrode demonstrated the lowest detection limit of 0.06 μM and high sensitivity to NO2−. This sensor had good selectivity in the presence of interfering analytes, repeatability and stability.

High Efficiency Production of Urea from Electrochemical Coreduction of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrite at Carbon Supported Iron(III) Tetrasulfophthalocyanine Under Ambient Conditions

Electrochemical coreduction of carbon dioxide with nitrite can potentially be used to remove two serious pollutants from the environment while producing urea as an essential fertilizer and valuable fuel. However, efficiencies are currently much too low due to the high overpotentials required and/or low faradaic efficiency (FE) for urea formation. Although metal phthalocyanine catalysts can provide reasonably high FE (≤42%), high negative potentials (≤−0.75 V vs RHE) are required. Here it is shown that a water soluble, sulfonated iron(III) phthalocyanine can produce a higher FE for urea (54%) at +0.053 V vs RHE, with 25% coproduction of ammonia. Urea production was measured by the diacetyl monoxime (DAM) method, and verified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Electrodes prepared with a carbon black support and Nafion binder exhibited good stability in the 0.1 M NaHCO3 electrolyte.

Fe phthalocyanine stabilized on phosphorous-doped multi-defective carbon nanoribbons as oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

Coordination polymers can be utilized as ideal precursors due to their ability to change their growth behavior and topological structure through solvent-induced effects. In this work, nanostrip-like crystalline particles, transformed from interchangeable indium-based coordination polymers (InOF-25/26), are treated to synthesize phosphorus-doped multi-defective carbon nanoribbons for efficiently anchoring iron phthalocyanine. The obtained FePc-Fe2P@25-CNR electrocatalyst exhibits a superior half-wave potential of 0.899 V and a large diffusion current density of 5.152 mA cm−2 in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Meanwhile, it also shows excellent stability in homemade Zn-air batteries with satisfactory charge/discharge durability over 100 cycles. In this case, the ORR performance can be improved by phosphating the carbon surface, reinforcing tight bonding with transition metal phthalocyanines, and inducing charge migration to increase the electrocatalysis kinetics, which is further validated by relevant theoretical calculation. This synthetic strategy combines structurally variable coordination polymers with metallomacrocyclic molecules, exploiting a feasible pathway for the preparation of high-performance electrochemical catalysts.

Synthesis, structure characterization, DFT calculations, and computational anticancer activity investigations of 1-phenyl ethanol derivatives

1-Phenyl ethanol derivatives are well-known classes of drug molecules that play an important role as effective substitute analogs to anticancer and antiviral agents. In this work, phenylacetylene was selected as a simple alkyne in the presence of iron (II) phthalocyanine with NaBH4 as a catalyst. This reaction has been proven that it is a significantly efficient catalyzed conversion of terminal and internal alkynes to 1-phenyl ethanol derivatives as secondary alcohols followed by the addition and elimination mechanism. However, such drug design by compiling the redox reaction and its sequence essentially requires exact stoichiometry of iron phthalocyanine to alkynes. The products were characterized using flash column chromatography with an eluent ratio of PE: EA (5: 1 / V: V), gas chromatography, 1H, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The potential of the synthesized compounds to bind to protein kinase B was investigated through molecular docking to dig out their probable anticancer activity. Compound 7 (1-(4-bromophenyl) ethan-1-ol) exhibited the highest binding potential. However, the binding potential of all the compounds was less than the standard parent compound. In addition, the density functional theory (DFT) studies of the compounds were also applied which revealed that compound 1 might have the highest chemical stability.

Iron phthalocyanine nanodots decorated ultra-thin porous carbon nitride: A combination of photocatalysis and Fenton reaction to achieve two-channel efficient tetracycline degradation

Recent years, many scholars have been greatly intrigued by the large amounts of emerging antibiotics pollutants (such as tetracycline, penicillin, etc.) in natural water environments. Photo-Fenton oxidation, a highly advanced oxidation technique, has been seen as a promising way to effectively break down these pollutants by generating a great deal of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, iron phthalocyanine nanodots (FePc)/ultra-thin porous carbon nitride (UPCN) nanocomposites were successfully prepared by thermal polymerization and calcination processes. In the system with a small amount (10 μL) of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and natural pH conditions, the 1%-FePc/UPCN nanocatalcatalyst had the best degradation effect, and the TC removal rate reached 89% within 20 min and 99% within 60 min. The excellent performance of the nano-composites is ascribed to the large surface area, multiple active sites, small pore size, easy excitation and fast transfers of photogenerated carriers induced by π-π bond. In addition, the improvement of the degradation of TC is also due to the synergistic effect of the photocatalytic reaction center dominated by UPCN and Fenton reaction center dominated by FePc in the system, simultaneously. In this study, a synergistic dual-reaction center catalytic system was constructed to provide new insights and strategies for the degradation of organic pollutants in natural water environments.

Oxygen Radical Anion Substituted Iron Phthalocyanine as an Effective Redox Mediator for Li-O2 Batteries.

Transition metal phthalocyanines are potential soluble redox mediators for Li-O2 batteries. In this work, effective strategies to control the redox potentials and activities of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) based redox mediators are designed by the introduction of electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups. Substituted electron-donating groups can shift the oxidation potential of FePc to a higher energy level, consequently reducing the charging voltage of Li-O2 batteries. Especially, oxygen radical anion (-O-) modified FePc (FePc-O-) shows the most significant improvement to the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions of Li-O2 batteries. Electronic analysis indicates that -O- substitution can break the symmetry of electronic structures of FePc which further tunes the reduction of O2 and the oxidation of Li2O2. Detailed reaction mechanisms of (FePc-O-)-mediated Li-O2 batteries are proposed based on first-principles molecular dynamics simulations and thermodynamic free energy calculations.

Electrospun Carbon Nanofibre‐Based Catalysts Prepared with Co and Fe Phthalocyanine for Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Medium

AbstractA Pt‐free cathode catalyst is necessary for proton‐exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) to enable the widespread use of these environmentally friendly energy conversion devices at affordable price. Herein, a pyrolyzed electrospun carbon nanofibre (CNF) catalyst is prepared embedded with cobalt(II) phthalocyanine and iron(II) phthalocyanine compounds to provide the transition metal N4‐macrocyclic complex‐derived sites (MNX) possessing better electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. The physical characterisation showed the nanofibrous structure of catalyst with rough surface texture and considerable amount of N, Fe, and Co. The D−MN4−CNF−IL−A catalyst prepared using ionic liquid as a porogen displayed the best electrocatalytic activity for O2 electroreduction proceeding via 4e− pathway in 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte solution with the ORR onset and half‐wave potential of 0.83 and 0.71 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), respectively.

Adsorption structure of iron phthalocyanine and titanyl phthalocyanine on Cu(1 1 1)

The adsorption structure of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) and titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) was studied by a combination of near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy and normal incidence X-ray standing waves (NIXSW) technique. The FePc results demonstrate that the molecule adsorbs with the Fe metal centre at an adsorption height of 2.44 ± 0.09 Å, its macrocycle plane mostly parallel with the underlying surface and a single adsorption configuration. However, a small distortion of the isoindole groups, with respect to one another, is required to rationalise the results. The TiOPc results similarly indicate that the macrocycle plane is mostly parallel with the underlying surface up to thick multilayer films, yet, in the monolayer regime, the molecule must adsorb in multiple configurations. These configurations are nominally assigned to a mixture of adsorption configurations with some Ti=O bonds pointing towards the surface, and some pointing away. We determine that, in both configurations, the Ti metal centre sits at a similar adsorption height above the surface of 3.00 ± 0.20 Å.

Electroanalytical characterization of chloroquinoline substituted redox-active phthalocyanines

In the first part of this study, the synthesis and characterization of organosoluble 5-chloroquinolin-8-yloxy substituted iron(II) (2) and oxo-titanium (IV) phthalocyanines (3) are reported for the first time. These compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared, electronic spectroscopy, and mass spectra. Electrochemical behaviors of metal-free and cobalt phthalocyanines and further new types of iron and oxo-titanium phthalocyanines were investigated using electroanalytical methods, such as cyclic (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). According to the electrochemical results, phthalocyanines by and large showed one-electron metal- and/or ligand-based reversible or quasi-reversible reduction and oxidation processes.
 All in all, this study's results inevitably create a useful way to use them in possible future studies, which will particularly attempt to use the compound investigated in potential areas of use.

Iron, Cobalt, and Nickel Phthalocyanine Tri-Doped Electrospun Carbon Nanofibre-Based Catalyst for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Battery Air Electrode.

The goal of achieving the large-scale production of zero-emission vehicles by 2035 will create high expectations for electric vehicle (EV) development and availability. Currently, a major problem is the lack of suitable batteries and battery materials in large quantities. The rechargeable zinc-air battery (RZAB) is a promising energy-storage technology for EVs due to the environmental friendliness and low production cost. Herein, iron, cobalt, and nickel phthalocyanine tri-doped electrospun carbon nanofibre-based (FeCoNi-CNF) catalyst material is presented as an affordable and promising alternative to Pt-group metal (PGM)-based catalyst. The FeCoNi-CNF-coated glassy carbon electrode showed an oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction reversibility of 0.89 V in 0.1 M KOH solution. In RZAB, the maximum discharge power density (Pmax) of 120 mW cm-2 was obtained with FeCoNi-CNF, which is 86% of the Pmax measured with the PGM-based catalyst. Furthermore, during the RZAB charge-discharge cycling, the FeCoNi-CNF air electrode was found to be superior to the commercial PGM electrocatalyst in terms of operational durability and at least two times higher total life-time.

Enhancing Sulfur Redox Conversion of Active Iron Sites by Modulation of Electronic Density for Advanced Lithium-Sulfur Battery.

Despite lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries possessing ultrahigh energy density as great promising energy storage devices, the suppressing shuttle effect and improving sulfur redox reaction (SROR) are vital for their practical application. Developing high-activity electrocatalysts for enhancing the SROR kinetics is a major challenge for the application of Li-S batteries. Herein, single-molecule iron phthalocyanine species are anchored on the N and P dual-doped porous carbon nanosheets (Fe-NPPC) via axial Fe-N coordination to optimize the electronic structure of active centers. The Fe-NPPC can promote the catalytic conversion of polysulfides by modulation of the electronic density in active moieties, endowing the Li-S battery with a high reversible capacity of 1023 mAh g-1 at 1 C as well as an ultralow capacity decay of 0.035% per cycle over 1500 cycles. Even with a high sulfur loading of 7.1mg cm-2 , the Li-S battery delivers a high areal capacity of 4.8 mAh cm-2 after 150 cycles at 0.2 C. With further increasing the sulfur loading to 9.2mg cm-2 , an excellent areal capacity of up to 9.3 mAh cm-2 is obtained at 0.1 C.

Fabrication and Enhancement of Organic Photodetectors Based on Iron Phthalocyanine Films

Iron–phthalocyanine (FePc) organic photoconductive detector was fabricated using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique to work in ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions. The organic semiconductor material (iron phthalocyanine) was deposited on n-type silicon wafer (Si) substrates at different thicknesses (100, 200 and 300) nm. FePc organic photoconductive detector has been improved by two methods: the first is to manufacture the detector on PSi substrates, and the second is by coating the detector with polyamide–nylon polymer to enhance the photoconductivity of the FePc detector. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics, responsivity, photocurrent gain, response time and the quantum efficiency of the fabricated photoconductive detector were measured. The performance of the fabricated detector was taken under dark and illumination using two types of light sources: UV LED with wavelength (365[Formula: see text]nm), power of (10[Formula: see text]W) and Tungsten lamp with wavelength range between (500–800) nm and the optical power of (250[Formula: see text]W). The photoresponse enhancement was improved by coating the FePc films with 200[Formula: see text]nm of polyamide nylon polymer. This type of coating, which can be considered as a surface treatment, highly increased the photoresponse of the fabricated FePc UV detector. The results show that the responsivity increased four orders of magnitudes more than the responsivity of the uncoated FePc film. The effects of the coated polymers on the responsivity and the response time of the detector were investigated.

Immobilization of iron phthalocyanine on MOF-derived N-doped carbon for promoting oxygen reduction in zinc-air battery

Functional carbon nanomaterials play a crucial role in the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for sustainable fuel cells and metal-air batteries. In this study, we propose an effective approach to immobilize iron phthalocyanines (FePc) by employing a porous N-doped carbon material, denoted as NC-1000, derived from a sheet-shaped coordination polymer. The resulting NC-1000 possesses substantial porosity and abundant pore defects. The nitrogen sites within NC-1000 not only facilitate FePc adsorption but also optimize the electron distribution at the Fe-N site.The FePc@NC-1000 composite material exhibits a significant number of active centers in the form of Fe-N4 moieties, showcasing satisfactory ORR activity. Specifically, it demonstrates an onset potential of 0.99 V, a positive half-wave potential of 0.86 V, a large limiting current of 5.96 mA cm−2, and a small Tafel slope of 44.41 mV dec-1. Additionally, theoretical calculations and experimental results confirm the favorable performance and durability of zinc-air batteries assembled using FePc@NC-1000, thereby highlighting their considerable potential for practical applications. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive exploration of the enhanced catalytic performance and increased stability of metal–organic framework-derived functional carbon nanomaterials as cost-effective, efficient, and stable catalysts for the ORR.

Fe3N sites anchored reduced graphene oxide activate peroxymonosulfate via singlet oxygen dominated process: Performance and mechanisms

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have attracted much attention due to their adaptability to complex water environments. In this study, new catalysts (Fe/N-rGOs) with three dimensional (3D) interpenetrating structure were fabricated from the iron phthalocyanine (FePc) anchoring on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for tetracycline (TC) degradation by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Among them, the Fe/N-rGO-4 catalysts with high Fe-Nx center density exhibited the best degradation efficiency and the highest value of pseudo-first-order degradation reaction kinetic (k = 0.185 min−1), which was approximately 18.5, 4.2, and 2.9 times higher than the rates achieved by the pristine PMS, rGO/PMS, and calcining FePc nanoclusters without rGO (Fe/N NPs/PMS) systems, respectively. Besides, Fe/N-rGO-4 exhibited satisfactory catalytic activity over a wide pH range (3.0–9.5) and remarkable stability of degradation performance after four consecutive cycles. Quenching experiments and electrochemical analysis demonstrated that 1O2 was the primary reactive species, which was facilitated by the mediated electron transfer originating from the C-N group with graphitic N at the defective edges of rGO. The π-conjugated region resulting from π-π stacking interaction between rGO and FePc is the pathway of electron transfer. Furthermore, Fe3N sites were proved as the primary catalytic active sites, which dominated the catalytic performance. Three degradation pathways of TC including twelve intermediates were proposed based on the Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS) analysis. Generally, this work highlighted the great potential of Fe/N-rGOs catalysts and provided a new insight into the synthesis of high-performance carbon-based catalysts for environmental remediation.

Developing a PVDF catalytic membrane with high permeability, fouling resistance and self-cleaning capability for efficient oil/water emulsion separation

To impart PVDF membranes with excellent antifouling performance and catalytic self-cleaning capability, a novel modifier PVDF-g-Py-FePc (PPF) was facilely designed and architecturally constructed through grafting 4-aminopyridine (4-NH2-Py) followed by axial coordinating iron phthalocyanine (FePc) on PVDF backbones. An original PPF@PVDF catalytic membrane has been successfully fabricated though incorporating the Fenton-like modifier PPF into PVDF matrix using the phase inversion method. The influences of the introduction of PPF on membrane micro-structure and separation performance were investigated in detail by XPS, contact angle measurement, SEM, and cross-flow filtration experiment. Owing to the introduction of the modifier PPF, the porosity, mean pore size and surface hydrophilicity of PVDF membrane were enhanced obviously, which results in PVDF membrane with high permeation and excellent fouling resistance. Most importantly, the embedded PPF possesses catalytic active and can more effectively degrade the oil foulants adsorbed on membrane surface or trapped within membrane pores. Thereby, PVDF membrane was endowed a catalytic self-cleaning capability for high-efficient oil/water emulsion separation. As a whole, the PPF@PVDF catalytic membrane as a potential candidate will be applied in the treatment of wastewater containing oil and sewage.

Highly dispersed ultrasmall iron phthalocyanine molecule clusters confined by mesopore-rich N-doped hollow carbon nanospheres for efficient oxygen reduction reaction and Zn-air battery

Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) has attracted extensive attention due to its unique planar symmetric Fe-N4 sites, which are considered to be the ideal active sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis. However, the electrocatalytic performance of FePc is still unsatisfactory due to its low intrinsic activity, inadequate exposure and low utilization rate of Fe-N4 active sites. Herein, we synthesize a novel hybrid catalyst (FePc-NHCS-500) by coupling dispersed FePc molecule clusters into the defect-rich nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon spheres (NHCS). Benefiting from the confining effect of mesopores in the NHCS, the well dispersed ultrasmall FePc molecule clusters exhibit excellent ORR performance with Tafel slope of 41 mV dec−1, half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.94 V and kinetic current density (Jk) of 25.39 mA cm−2 at 0.9 V. Moreover, the as-assembled Zn-air battery (ZAB) using the FePc-NHCS-500 electrocatalyst as air electrode exhibits excellent performance, with open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.524 V, peak-power density of 230 mW cm−2 and specific capacity of 808.7 mAh g−1. This work not only designs a non-noble metal catalyst with excellent ORR performance, but also makes reasonable guidance for the practical application of the catalyst in renewable energy storage and conversion.

Bio-Inspired Electrochemical Detection of Nitric Oxide Promoted by Coordinating the Histamine-Iron Phthalocyanine Catalytic Center on Microelectrode.

Biomimetic structures to fabricate bioelectronic interfaces that allow sensors to electrically communicate with electrodes have potential applications in the development of biosensors. Herein, inspired by the structure feature of nitric oxide (NO) sensory protein, we constructed a biomimetically catalytic center, the histamine coordinated iron phthalocyanine (FePc), for efficient and sensitive detection of NO. In specific, NO is recognized by axial tethered FePc, and the oxidative signal of NO on FePc is converted into output signal through electrocatalytic oxidation. Based on the fabricated catalytic structure on the carbon fiber electrode, on one hand, the macrocyclic π system of FePc enabled a rapid redox process, which facilitates electron transfer, thereby greatly improving sensitivity. On the other hand, by coordination with histamine on the electrode surface, FePc can enhance the electrochemical oxidation activity toward NO and promote catalytic detection, which have been revealed by electrochemical characterizations and density functional theory theoretical calculations. The designed electrochemical microsensor exhibits a low limit of detection (0.03 nM) and shows a wide detection range (0.1 nM-2 μM). In addition, the electrochemical microsensor has been successfully used for real-time monitoring of NO release by live cells. So, this work shows a new strategy for the design of bio-inspired electrochemical microsensors that may provide a potential analytical tool for tracing biological signal molecules with enzyme-free biomimetically catalytic centers.

Elevating the energy efficiency for the power-to-ammonia conversion: Role of oxygen evolution reaction kinetics.

Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is imperatively countered with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on a conventional Pt counter electrode. Upon focusing on the development of suitable cathode catalysts, it is usually overseen that OER on Pt seeks a significant energy input to overcome the slow reaction kinetics, regardless of the efficiency of the NRR catalyst. Here, we unveil an out-of-the-box concept with state-of-the-art catalysts that, on pursuing OER with RuO2 in KOH, the NRR process reinforces thermodynamically. In this work, it has been shown how both the electrode and electrolyte simultaneously help to elevate a reaction mechanism in terms of Gibbs' energy and equilibrium constant. As a proof of concept, we assembled RuO2 with an NRR catalyst, iron phthalocyanine (FePc), in an electrolyzer, preferably in a two-electrode setup, where the catholyte consisted of 0.5M NaBF4. This system achieved selective cathodic conversion of N2 to NH3 with 67.6% Faradaic efficiency at 0.0V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) and simultaneous anodic water oxidation to O2 with a high electricity-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency of 46.7%. The electrolyzer forecasted a full cell voltage of 2.04V, which demands only 603 mV overpotential to attain 0.5 mA current to drive forward the chemical equilibrium of the overall cell reaction. This study not only emphasized the importance of electrode-electrolyte improvisation but also provided a wider outlook in terms of different thermodynamic parameters to be considered to determine the efficiency of the overall NRR coupled OER process.

Se nanoparticles-loaded and Mo-doped iron phthalocyanine nanorods as photoresponsive nanozyme for efficient synergistic sterilization

Se nanoparticles-loaded and Mo-doped FePc nanorods (Se-Mo-FePc NRs) were successfully constructed. It can efficiently catalyze endogenous H2O2 to generate amount of •OH, and exhibit photodynamic performance with 1O2 and more •OH production under an 808 nm laser irradiation. It also possesses good NIR photothermal conversion efficiency, the induced hyperthermia can promote the peroxidase-like activity. The antibacterial results indicate that Se-Mo-FePc NRs exhibit excellent anti-E. coli and anti-S. aureus efficiency through damaging cell membrane and inhibiting biofilm formation with low hemolysis and cytotoxicity. Finally, Se-Mo-FePc NRs can effectively treat S. aureus infected wound in the presence of H2O2 and NIR irradiation.

One-step synthesis of MN4 molecular electrocatalysts assembled on different nanocarbon architectures for efficient oxygen reduction

One-step dry ball-milling method was employed to prepare different electrocatalysts based on cobalt(II) or iron(II) phthalocyanines (CoPc and FePc, respectively) supported on commercial carbon materials (CNovel or a carbon black (Vulcan)), controlling the nominal metal content to 1 or 2 wt %. No pre-treatment (e.g., functionalization of the carbon support), solvent addition or post-processing steps (e.g., heat-treatment, acid-treatment, etc.) were required before, during or after the mechanochemical process. Different characterization techniques have been used to study the morphological, physicochemical and electrochemical properties of the synthesized materials. The as-prepared catalysts can be directly used without involving further procedure. Solid-state ball-milling strategy provides excellent contact of both components, which synergistically improved their electrocatalytic performance. Regarding the carbon materials, the adequate nanoarchitecture and surface chemistry of CNovel permits better distribution of metal phthalocyanines (MPc) compared to a carbon black. The FePc supported on CNovel shows excellent electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), in terms of good selectivity towards the 4-electron pathway, long-term stability and low overpotential in alkaline medium. This study opens new paths for a simple, scalable and cost-effective catalyst manufacturing through mechanochemistry that can be modulated by selecting the proper nanocarbon support and MPc/carbon ratio.