The catalyst materials are synthesized using carbon-supported cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) as the base material modified by pyridine (Py), 2-acid pyridine (AP) and 2-methyl pyridine (MP) (defined as Py-CoPc/C, AP-CoPc/C and MP-CoPc/C, respectively). The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyzed by these catalysts in alkaline solution is investigated by electrochemical methods to quantitatively understand the ORR kinetics. The results show that modification of Py, AP and MP as co-N-precursors can significantly improve the catalytic ORR activity of CoPc/C, and the activity is varied with the order of MP > AP > Py. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) study is conducted in order to examine the surface composition and the possible ORR active sites. The catalytic activities of these catalysts are also validated using an alkaline fuel cell performance, demonstrating these catalysts are promising for fuel cell applications. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.