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Abstract: Pyrolysis of a mixture of Fe phthalocyanine and phenolic resin (FePc/PhRs) was studied to clarify the details of the preparation protocol of nitrogen-doped carbon-based materials for cathode catalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. TEM images show that nanoshell carbon is formed by the pyrolysis of FePc/PhRs in the temperature range of 600–800°C. The optimum pyrolysis temperature for the FePc/PhRs mixture was 600°C, where moderate conductivity and high nitrogen content of the prepared carbon were both satisfied. This catalyst showed a promising fuel cell performance with 1.01V open-circuit voltage and 0.33Wcm−2 maximum output, at 0.2MPa absolute pressure and 80°C. A detailed study of the carbonization process suggests that the presence of Fe species during carbonization process contributes to higher nitrogen content and growth of nanoshell structure of the resulting carbon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]