MOF-Derived Co and Fe Species Loaded on N-Doped Carbon Networks as Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysts for Zn-Air Batteries

Searching for cheap,efficient,and stable oxygen electrocatalysts is vital to promote the practical performance of Zn-air batteries with high theoretic energy density.Herein,a series of Co nanoparticles and highly dispersed Fe loaded on N-doped porous carbon substrates are pre-pared through a“double-solvent”method with in situ doped metal-organic frameworks as pre-cursors.The optimized catalysts exhibit excellent performance for oxygen reduction and evolution reaction.Furthermore,rechargeable Zn-air bat-teries with designed catalysts demonstrate higher peak power density and better cycling stability than those with commercial Pt/C+RuO_(2).According to structure characterizations and electrochemical tests,the interaction of Co nanoparticles and highly dispersed Fe contributes to the superior performance for oxygen electrocatalysis.In addition,large specific surface areas,porous struc-tures and interconnected three-dimensional carbon networks also play important roles in improving oxygen electrocatalysis.This work provides inspiration for rational design of advanced oxygen electrocatalysts and paves a way for the practical application of rechargeable Zn-air batteries.