The development of efficient and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical for the practical application of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A novel imidazole based ionic liquid is synthesized in this study and used subsequently for the preparation of a N and S co-doped metal-free catalyst with three dimensional ordered microstructure. The catalyst prepared at 1100 degrees C showed improved ORR catalytic performance and stability compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst. We demonstrate that the high graphitic N content and high degree of graphitization of the synthesized catalyst is responsible for its superb ORR activity. Our results suggest that the N and S co-doped metal free catalyst reported here is a promising alternative to traditional ORR catalyst based on noble metal. Furthermore, the current study also demonstrate that importance of morphology engineering in the development of high performance ORR catalyst. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.