Hierarchical CoFe@N-Doped Carbon Decorated Wood Carbon as Bifunctional Cathode in Wearable Zn-Air Battery

Rechargeable Zn-air batteries(ZAB)have drawn extensive attention due to their eco-friendliness and safety.However,the lack of high-performance and low-cost oxygen redox reactions(OER and ORR)catalysts has become one of the main stumbling blocks in their development.Herein,we successfully fabricate a CoFe nanobubble encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon nanocage on wood carbon support(CoFe@NC/WC)via pyrolysis of a novel Prussian blue analog(PBA)/spruce precursor.The hierarchical CoFe@NC/WC catalyst exhibits an excellent potential difference of 0.74 V between the OER potential at 10 mA cm^(-2)and half-wave potential of ORR in 0.1 M KOH,comparable to recently reported preeminent electrocatalysts.Further,CoFe@NC/WC shows outstanding electrochemical performance in liquid ZAB,with a peak power density of 138.9 mW cm^(-2)and a specific capacity of 763.5 mAh g^(-1).More importantly,a bacterial cellulose nanofiber reinforced polyacrylic acid(BC-PAA)hydrogel electrolyte shows ultrahigh tensile-breaking stress of 1.58 MPa.In conjunction with the as-prepared CoFe@NC/WC catalyst,BC-PAA-based wearable ZAB displays impressive rechargeability and foldability,and can power portable electronics,such as electronic timer and mobile phone,in bent states.This work provides a new approach toward high-activity and low-cost catalysts for ZAB.

Tuning interface mechanism of FeCo alloy embedded N,S-codoped carbon substrate for rechargeable Zn-air battery

The interface mechanism between catalyst and carbon substrate has been the focus of research.In this paper,the FeCo alloy embedded N,S co-doped carbon substrate bifunctional catalyst(FeCo/S-NC)is obtained by a simple one-step pyrolysis strategy.The experimental results and density functional theory(DFT)calculation show that the formation of FeCo alloy is conducive to promoting electron transfer,and the introduction of S atom can enhance the interaction between FeCo alloy and carbon substrate,thus inhibiting the migration and agglomeration of particles on the surface of carbon material.The FeCo/SNC catalysts show outstanding performance for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER).FeCo/S-NC shows a high half-wave potential(E_(1/2)=0.8823 V)for ORR and a low overpotential at 10 mA cm^(-2)(E_(j=10)=299 mV)for OER.In addition,compared with Pt/C+RuO_(2) assembled Zn-air battery(ZAB),the FeCo/S-NC assembled ZAB exhibits a larger power density(198.8 mW cm^(-2)),a higher specific capacity(786.1 mA h g_(zn)~(-1)),and ultra-stable cycle performance.These results confirm that the optimized composition and the interfacial interaction between catalyst and carbon substrate synergistically enhance the electrochemical performance.

Hierarchically porous Co@N-doped carbon fiber assembled by MOF-derived hollow polyhedrons enables effective electronic/mass transport:An advanced 1D oxygen reduction catalyst for Zn-air battery

Developing advanced oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysts with rapid mass/electron transport as well as conducting relevant kinetics investigations is essential for energy technologies,but both still face ongoing challenges.Herein,a facile approach was reported for achieving the highly dispersed Co nanoparticles anchored hierarchically porous N-doped carbon fibers(Co@N-HPCFs),which were assembled by core-shell MOFs-derived hollow polyhedrons.Notably,the unique one-dimensional(1D)carbon fibers with hierarchical porosity can effectively improve the exposure of active sites and facilitate the electron transfer and mass transfer,resulting in the enhanced reaction kinetics.As a result,the ORR performance of the optimal Co@N-HPCF catalysts remarkably outperforms that of commercial Pt/C in alkaline solution,reaching a limited diffusion current density(J)of 5.85 m A cm^(-2)and a half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.831 V.Particularly,the prepared Co@N-HPCF catalysts can be used as an excellent air-cathode for liquid/solid-state Zn-air batteries,exhibiting great potentiality in portable/wearable energy devices.Furthermore,the reaction kinetic during ORR process is deeply explored by finite element simulation,so as to intuitively grasp the kinetic control region,diffusion control region,and mixing control region of the ORR process,and accurately obtain the relevant kinetic parameters.This work offers an effective strategy and a reliable theoretical basis for the engineering of first-class ORR electrocatalysts with fast electronic/mass transport.

Vacancy-modified bimetallic FeMoS_(x)/CoNiP_(x) heterostructure array for efficient seawater splitting and Zn-air battery

The development of highly efficient OER catalysts with superior durability for seawater electrolysis and Zn-air battery is important but challenging.Herein,the vacancy-modified heterostructured bimetallic Fe Mo S_(x)/Co Ni P_(x)OER electrocatalyst is exploited.Benefiting from the electron redistribution and reaction kinetics modulation resulting from vacancy introduction and heterojunction formation,it yields ultralow OER overpotentials of 196,276,303 m V in 1 M KOH and 197,318,348 m V in 1 M KOH+seawater at 10,500,1000 m A cm^(-2),respectively,surviving 600 h at 800 m A cm^(-2)without obvious decay.Further,FeMoS_(x)/CoNiP_(x)-based Zn-air battery not only affords the high peak power density of 214.5 m W cm^(-2)but also exhibits the small voltage gap of 0.698 V and long lifetime of 500 h at 10 m A cm^(-2),overmatching overwhelming majority of reported advanced catalysts.It is revealed experimentally that the OER process on rationally designed Fe Mo S_(x)/Co Ni P_(x)follows the adsorbate evolution mechanism and the ratedetermining step shifts from^(*)OOH formation in individual building blocks to^(*)OOH deprotonation process in FeMoS_(x)/CoNiP_(x),providing the directly proof of how the vacancy introduction and heterojunction formation affect the reaction kinetics.

Atomically dispersed Fe-Ni dual sites in heteroatom doped carbon tyres for efficient oxygen electrocatalysis in rechargeable Zn-Air battery

The electronic and functional synergies between the twin metal centers make dual single-atom catalysts(DACs) attractive for oxygen electrocatalysis. The catalytic activities of DACs are largely decided by their surrounding micro-environment and supporting substrates. Modulating the micro-environment as well as engineering the efficient support is challenging tasks. Moreover, both are critical to optimizing the performance of DACs. Herein, a novel bio-cooperative strategy is developed to synthesize Fe Ni-DAC wherein Fe-Ni dual-atom sites are embedded in the N, P codoped tyre shaped carbon matrix. The configuration matching of Fe-Ni dual centers together with the local electronic engineering of N, P heteroatoms synergistically boost the catalytic activity on the oxygen reaction. Furthermore, the central-hollow highlyporous carbon matrix not only gives rise to a large amount of active sites, but also facilitates fast kinetics.Taking advantage of both the DAC and the substrate, the Fe Ni-NPC hollow tyre(HT) catalyst scores high in both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions, which exhibits the narrow potential difference and excellent durability. The aqueous Zn-air full battery(ZAB) integrating the Fe Ni-NPC HT air cathode has a high power density and a good stability over long-term cycling. Moreover, the flexible solid-state ZAB assembled with the polymer electrolyte obtains the high reliability over a wide range of temperatures or under diverse outside deformations. Therefore, this work offers a new green approach to prepare highly efficient DACs with built-in modulated micro-environment and tailor-made substrates. Moreover,it also paves a new way to develop highly-pliable power source for flexible electronics.

Boosting electrocatalytic activity with the formation of abundant heterointerfaces and N, S dual-doped carbon nanotube for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Herein,a facile synthetic strategy is proposed to fabricate high-performance electrocatalysts for rechargeable Zn-air batteries(ZABs).Heterostructured NiCo/NiCo_(2)S_(4) nanoparticles encapsulated in N-,S-co-doped CNT(NiCo/NiCo_(2)S_(4)@NSCNT) are synthesized via co-precipitation,thermal carbonization,and partial sulfidation processes.The strongly coupled NiCo/NiCo_(2)S_(4) heterostructure can improve the redox property and charge transfer ability.Also,the CNTs with abundant foreign dopants provide high electrical conductivity and abundant defect sites for both the oxygen evolution reaction(OER) and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).The prepared NiCo/NiCo_(2)S_(4)@NSCNT electrocatalyst exhibits a low overpotential of 349 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a half-wave potential of 0.865 V for the OER and ORR,respectively.Moreover,the ZAB assembled using as-prepared NiCo/NiCo_(2)S_(4)@NSCNT can provide superior specific capacity(756.16 mA h g_(Zn)^(-1)],peak power density(155.82 mW cm^(-2)),and long-term cyclability compared to those of the precious metal-based electrocatalyst(Pt/C+RuO_(2)).

Two-in-one strategy to construct bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Integrating two different catalytic active sites into one composite is a useful 2-in-1 strategy for designing high-efficient bifunctional catalysts,which can easily tailor the activity of each reaction.Hence,we adopt the 2-in-1 strategy to design the metal oxyhydroxide supported on N-doped porous carbons(PA-CoFe@NPC)as the oxygen bifunctional catalyst,where NPC provides the activity for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)while the metal oxyhydroxide is responsible for oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Results demonstrate that the PA-CoFe@NPC indeed exhibits both super ORR and OER activities.Impressively,using bifunctional PA-CoFe@NPC as the oxygen electrode,the resulting Zn-air battery exhibits outstanding charge and discharge performance with the peak power density of 156.3 mW cm^(-2),and also exhibits a long-term cycle stability with continuous cyclic charge and discharge of 170 hours that is obviously better than the 20%Pt/C+IrO_(2)based one.The 2-in-1 strategy in this work can be efficiently extended to design other bi-or multi-functional electrocatalysts.

In-situ growth of CoNi bimetal anchored on carbon nanoparticle/nanotube hybrid for boosting rechargeable Zn-air battery

Exploring highly efficient non-precious metal based catalysts for bifunctional oxygen electrode is crucial for rechargeable metal-air batteries.In this study,with MOFs as precursors,a facile coprecipitation method is designed to realize in-situ growth of the CoNi anchored carbon nanoparticle/nanotube(CoNi/N-CNN)hybrid,which can achieve the simultaneous maximum exposure of both oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)active centers.Benefiting from the unique structure,the CoNi/N-CNN catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for ORR(E_(onset)=1.183 V,E_(1/2)=0.819 V)and a low operating voltage of 1.718 V at 10 mA cm^(−2)(Ej=10)for OER.Delightfully,the home-made rechargeable Zn-air battery with CoNi/N-CNN delivers a high discharge power density up to 209 mW cm^(−2),and an outstanding charge–discharge cycling stability.The boosted bifunctional electrocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the strong coupling effect between Co/Ni center sites and defect-rich N-anchored carbon featured with porous and nanotube structure,which can introduce uniformly dispersed active sites,tailored electronic configuration,superb conductivity and convenient charge transfer process.The hybrid non-precious bimetal based electrocatalyst provides the possibility to develop the low-cost and high-efficient ORR/OER bifunctional electrocatalysts in rechargeable metal-air battery.

Facile Preparation of Fe-N-C Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts from Metal Organic Frameworks for Zn-Air Battery

It is critical to study efficient,stable oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysts due to insufficient stability and expensive price of Pt/C catalysts for Zn-air batteries.Fe–N–C electrocatalysts was synthesized by a facile solvent-green method and the efficiency of Fe–N–C optimized was studied as potential ORR electrocatalysts under alkaline condition.Results indicated that it had excellent ORR activity with E_(1/2)of 0.93 V,which was competitive to that of Pt/C-JM under the same conditions.Moreover,the assembled Zn-air battery exhibited discharge potential and charge potential of 1.2 V,2.32 V at 5 mA cm^(−2)with high stability,respectively.Overall,all results illustrated that Fe–N–C is an excellent ORR electrocatalyst in the field of metal air battery.Additionally,this work opens a good way to synthesize highly efficient electrocatalysts from metal organic framework and to investigate ORR mechanism of efficient chemical energy to electricity conversion.

Molten salt assisted fabrication of Fe@Fe_(SA)-N-C oxygen electrocatalyst for high performance Zn-air battery

Non-noble-metal-based electrocatalysts with superior oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)activity to platinum(Pt)are highly desirable but their fabrications are challenging and thus impeding their applications in metal-air batteries and fuel cells.Here,we report a facile molten salt assisted two-step pyrolysis strategy to construct carbon nanosheets matrix with uniformly dispersed Fe_(3) N/Fe nanoparticles and abundant nitrogen-coordinated Fe single atom moieties(Fe@Fe_(SA)-N-C).Thermal exfoliation and etching effect of molten salt contribute to the formation of carbon nanosheets with high porosity,large surface area and abundant uniformly immobilized active sites.Aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM)image,X-ray absorption fine spectroscopy,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate the generation of Fe(mainly Fe_(3) N/Fe)and Fe_(SA)-N-C moieties,which account for the catalytic activity for ORR.Further study on modulating the crystal structure and composition of Fe_(3) N/Fe nanoparticles reveals that proper chemical environment of Fe in Fe_(3) N/Fe notably optimizes the ORR activity.Consequently,the presence of abundant Fe_(SA)-N-C moieties,and potential synergies of Fe_(3) N/Fe nanoparticles and carbon shells,markedly promote the reaction kinetics.The as-developed Fe@Fe_(SA)-N-C-900 electrocatalyst displays superior ORR performance with a half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.83 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)and a diffusion limited current density of 5.6 mA cm^(-2).In addition,a rechargeable Zn-air battery device assembled by the Fe@Fe_(SA)-N-C-900 possesses remarkably stable performance with a small voltage gap without obvious voltage loss after500 h of operation.The facile synthesis strategy for the high-performance composites represents another viable avenue to stable and low-cost electrocatalysts for ORR catalysis.

Hierarchical sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanocages as efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Exploring inexpensive and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is critical for rechargeable metal-air batteries. Herein, we report a new 3D hierarchical sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanocages(hSNCNC) as a promising bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst by an in-situ MgO template method with pyridine and thiophene as the mixed precursor. The as-prepared h SNCNC exhibits a positive half-wave potential of 0.792 V(vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE) for ORR, and a low operating potential of 1.640 V at a 10 mA cm-2 current density for OER. The reversible oxygen electrode index is 0.847 V, far superior to commercial Pt/C and IrO2,which reaches the top level of the reported bifunctional catalysts. Consequently, the hSNCNC as air cathodes in an assembled Zn-air battery features low charge/discharge overpotential and long lifetime. The remarkable properties arises from the introduced multiple heteroatom dopants and stable 3D hierarchical structure with multi-scale pores, which provides the abundant uniform high-active S and N species and efficient charge transfer as well as mass transportation. These results demonstrate the potential strategy in developing suitable carbon-based bi-/multi-functional catalysts to enable the next generation of the rechargeable metal-air batteries.

Construction of surface lattice oxygen in metallic N-CuCoS1.97 porous nanowire for wearable Zn-air battery

Achieving high activity and stability oxygen evolution reaction(OER) catalysts to optimize the efficiency of metal-air battery, water splitting and other energy conversion devices, remains a formidable challenge.Herein, we demonstrate the metallic porous nanowires arrays with abundant defects via nitrogen and copper codoped CoS1.97 nanowires(N-CuCoS1.97 NWs). The N-CuCoS1.97 NWs can serve as an excellent OER self-supported electrode with an overpotential of 280 mV(j = 10 m A cm-2) and remarkable long-term stability. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure(XANES) and X-ray photoelectron spectrum(XPS) measurements confirmed the surface lattice oxygen created on the N-CuCoS1.97 NWs during OER. Then, the density function theory(DFT) results evident that lattice oxygen constructed surface of N-CuCoS1.97 NWs has more favorable OER energetic profiles and absorption for reaction intermediate. More importantly,the flexible and wearable Zn-air battery fabricated by the N-CuCoS1.97 NWs shows excellent rechargeable and mechanical stability, which can be used in portable mobile device.

ZnS-assisted evolution of N,S-doped hierarchical porous carbon nanofiber membrane with highly exposed Fe-N_(4)/C_(x) sites for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Binder-free bifunctional electrocatalysts are attractive for rechargeable Zn-air batteries(ZABs)in gridscale energy storage and flexible electronics,but suffering from the sluggish mass transport and inadequate catalytic capability.Herein,we propose a scalable approach of in-situ engineering highly exposed Fe-N_(4)/Cxsites on the N,S-doped porous carbon nanofiber membrane as a binder-free air electrode catalyst for ZABs.ZnS nanospheres are firstly used as integrated structure-directing agents to facilitate the electronic modulation of Fe-N_(4)/Cxsites by S doping and construct the hierarchical macro/meso/micropores at high temperature.Neither additional step for removal of ZnS nanospheres nor doping process is required,significantly simplifying the pore formation process and improving the S doping efficiency.Benefiting from the enhanced intrinsic activity of high-density Fe-N_(4)/Cxsites(23.53μmol g^(-1))and the optimized mass transport of carbon nanofibers,as-synthesized electrocatalyst shows a positive half-wave potential of 0.89 V for oxygen reduction reaction and a small overpotential of 0.47 V at 10 m A cm^(-2)for oxygen evolution reaction.When used as the air cathode catalyst for ZABs,it delivers a high specific capacity of 699 m Ah g^(-1)at 5 m A cm^(-2),a large peak power density of 228 m W cm^(-2)and a prolonged cycling over 1000 h.At 10 m A cm^(-2),a robust structure with atomically dispersed Fe is also remained after cycling for 420 h.Due to the flexible properties of the electrocatalyst,as-assembled quasi-solid-state ZAB shows stable cycling over 90 h at alternately flat/bent states,demonstrating great prospects in flexible electronic device applications.

Hierarchical Carbon Microtube@Nanotube Core-Shell Structure for High-Performance Oxygen Electrocatalysis and Zn-Air Battery

Zinc-air batteries(ZABs)hold tremendous promise for clean and efficient energy storage with the merits of high theoretical energy density and environmental friendliness.However,the performance of practical ZABs is still unsatisfactory because of the inevitably decreased activity of electrocatalysts when assembly into a thick electrode with high mass loading.Herein,we report a hierarchical electrocatalyst based on carbon microtube@nanotube core-shell nanostructure(CMT@CNT),which demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction with a small potential gap of 0.678 V.Remarkably,when being employed as air-cathode in ZAB,the CMT@CNT presents an excellent performance with a high power density(160.6 mW cm^−2),specific capacity(781.7 mAhgZn^−1)as well as long cycle stability(117 h,351 cycles).Moreover,the ZAB performance of CMT@CNT is maintained well even under high mass loading(3 mg cm−2,three times as much as traditional usage),which could afford high power density and energy density for advanced electronic equipment.We believe that this work is promising for the rational design of hierarchical structured electrocatalysts for advanced metal-air batteries.

Synthesis of silk-like FeS_2/NiS_2 hybrid nanocrystals with improved reversible oxygen catalytic performance in a Zn-air battery

The development of highly active and stable reversible oxygen electrocatalysts is crucial for improving the efficiency of metal‐air battery devices.Herein,an efficient liquid exfoliation strategy was designed for producing silk‐like FeS2/NiS2 hybrid nanocrystals with enhanced reversible oxygen catalytic performance that displayed excellent properties for Zn‐air batteries.Because of the unique silk‐like morphology and interface nanocrystal structure,they can catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)efficiently with a low overpotential of 233 mV at j=10 mA cm?2.This is an improvement from the recently reported catalysts in 1.0 M KOH.Meanwhile,the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)activity of the silk‐like FeS2/NiS2 hybrid nanocrystals showed an onset potential of 911 mV and a half‐wave potential of 640 mV.In addition,the reversible oxygen electrode activity of the silk‐like FeS2/NiS2 hybrid nanocrystals was calculated to be 0.823 V,based on the potential of the OER and ORR.Further,the homemade rechargeable Zn‐air batteries using FeS2/NiS2 hybrid nanocrystals as the air‐cathode displayed a high open‐circuit voltage of 1.25 V for more than 17 h and an excellent rechargeable performance for 25 h.The solid Zn‐air batteries exhibited an excellent rechargeable performance for 15 h.This study provided a new method for designing interface nanocrystals with a unique morphology for efficient multifunctional electrocatalysts in electrochemical reactions and renewable energy devices.

N-doped porous carbon hollow microspheres encapsulated with iron-based nanocomposites as advanced bifunctional catalysts for rechargeable Zn-air battery

The design and development of low-cost,efficient,and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)are desirable for rechargeable metal-air batteries.In this work,N-doped porous hollow carbon spheres encapsulated with ultrafine Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticles(FeOx@N-PHCS)were fabricated by impregnation and subsequent pyrolysis,using melamine-formaldehyde resin spheres as self-sacrifice templates and polydopamine as N and C sources.The sufficient adsorption of Fe3+on the polydopamine endowed the formation of Fe-Nx species upon high-temperature carbonization.The prepared FeOx@N-PHCS has advanced features of large specific surface area,porous hollow structure,high content of N dopants,sufficient Fe-Nx species and ultrafine FeOx nanoparticles.These features endow FeOx@N-PHCS with enhanced mass transfer and considerable active sites,leading to high activity and stability in catalyzing ORR and OER in alkaline electrolyte.Furthermore,the rechargeable Zn-air battery with FeOx@N-PHCS as air cathode catalyst exhibits a large peak power density,narrow charge-discharge potential gap and robust cycling stability,demonstrating the potential of the fabricated FeOx@N-PHCS as a promising electrode material for metal-air batteries.This new finding may open an avenue for rational design of bifunctional catalysts by integrating different active components within all-in-one catalyst for different electrochemical reactions.

Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries:Model and experiment

Zinc(Zn)-air batteries are widely used in secondary battery research owing to their high theoretical energy density,good electrochemical reversibility,stable discharge performance,and low cost of the anode active material Zn.However,the Zn anode also leads to many challenges,including dendrite growth,deformation,and hydrogen precipitation self-corrosion.In this context,Zn dendrite growth has a greater impact on the cycle lives.In this dissertation,a dendrite growth model for a Zn-air battery was established based on electrochemical phase field theory,and the effects of the charging time,anisotropy strength,and electrolyte temperature on the morphology and growth height of Zn dendrites were studied.A series of experiments was designed with different gradient influencing factors in subsequent experiments to verify the theoretical simulations,including elevated electrolyte temperatures,flowing electrolytes,and pulsed charging.The simulation results show that the growth of Zn dendrites is controlled mainly by diffusion and mass transfer processes,whereas the electrolyte temperature,flow rate,and interfacial energy anisotropy intensity are the main factors.The experimental results show that an optimal electrolyte temperature of 343.15 K,an optimal electrolyte flow rate of 40 ml·min^(-1),and an effective pulse charging mode.

Fe-N_(x) sites coupled with core-shell FeS@C nanoparticles to boost the oxygen catalysis for rechargeable Zn-air batteries

The development of efficient single-atom catalysts(SACs) for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)remains a formidable challenge,primarily due to the symmetric charge distribution of metal singleatom sites(M-N_(4)).To address such issue,herein,Fe-N_(x) sites coupled synergistic catalysts fabrication strategy is presented to break the uniform electronic distribution,thus enhancing the intrinsic catalytic activity.Precisely,atomically dispersed Fe-N_(x) sites supported on N/S-doped mesoporous carbon(NSC)coupled with FeS@C core-shell nanoparticles(FAS-NSC@950) is synthesized by a facile hydrothermal reaction and subsequent pyrolysis.Due to the presence of an in situ-grown conductive graphitic layer(shell),the FeS nanoparticles(core) effectively adjust the electronic structure of single-atom Fe sites and facilitate the ORR kinetics via short/long-range coupling interactions.Consequently,FAS-NSC@950displays a more positive half-wave potential(E_(1/2)) of 0.871 V with a significantly boosted ORR kinetics(Tafel slope=52.2 mV dec^(-1)),outpacing the commercial Pt/C(E_(1/2)=0.84 V and Tafel slope=54.6 mV dec^(-1)).As a bifunctional electrocatalyst,it displays a smaller bifunctional activity parameter(ΔE) of 0.673 V,surpassing the Pt/C-RuO_(2) combination(ΔE=0.724 V).Besides,the FAS-NSC@950-based zincair battery(ZAB) displays superior power density,specific capacity,and long-term cycling performance to the Pt/C-Ir/C-based ZAB.This work significantly contributes to the field by offering a promising strategy to enhance the catalytic activity of SACs for ORR,with potential implications for energy conversion and storage technologies.

Precise construction of RuPt dual single-atomic sites to optimize oxygen electrocatalytic behaviors for high-performance Zn-air batteries

The development of redox bifunctional electrocatalysts with high performance,low cost,and long lifetimes is essential for achieving clean energy goals.This study proposed an atom capture strategy for anchoring dual single atoms(DSAs)in a zinc-zeolitic imidazolate framework(Zn-ZIF),followed by calcination under an N_(2) atmosphere to synthesize ruthenium-platinum DSAs supported on a nitrogendoped carbon substrate(RuPt DSAs-NC).Theoretical calculations showed that the degree of Ru 5dxz-~*O 2p_x orbital hybridization was high when^(*)O was adsorbed at the Ru site,indicating enhanced covalent hybridization of metal sites and oxygen ligands,which benefited the adsorption of intermediate species.The presence of the RuPtN_6 active center optimized the absorption-desorption behavior of intermediates,improving the electrocatalytic performance of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and the oxygen evolution reaction(DER),RuPt DSAs-NC exhibited a 0.87 V high half-wave potential and a 268 mV low overpotential at 10 mA cm^(-2)in an alkaline environment.Furthermore,rechargeable zinc-air batteries(ZABs)achieved a peak power density of 171 MW cm^(-2).The RuPt DSAs-NC demonstrated long-term cycling for up to 500 h with superior round-trip efficiency.This study provided an effective structural design strategy to construct DSAs active sites for enhanced electrocata lytic performance.

Enhanced bifunctional oxygen electrochemical catalytic performance using La-doped CoFe_(2)O_(4)spinel supported by 3D-G for Zn-air batteries

The preparation of bifunctional catalysts for oxygen reduction(ORR)and oxygen evolution(OER)is crucial for Zn-air batteries.Here,we report a La doped CoFe_(2)O_(4) spinel catalyst supported on threedimensional graphene(3D-G),where La can facilitate electron transfer from Co to Fe,leading to increased electron cloud density in Fe and improved catalytic performance.The redshift of the G peak in the Raman spectra indicates the interaction between theπbond of 3D-G and d orbitals in La_(0.2)CoFe_(1.8)O_(4).La_(0.2)CoFe_(1.8)/3D-G exhibits superior ORR performance(E_(1/2)=0.86 V vs.RHE)and OER performance(E_(j=10)=1.55 V vs.RHE)to CoFe_(2)O_(4)/3D-G(E_(1/2)=0.831 V vs.RHE,E_(j=10)=1.603 V vs.RHE).Furthermore,it demonstrates excellent bifunctional oxygen catalytic performance while maintaining high power density and stability in liquid zinc-air batteries(ZABs)and flexible ZABs(F-ZABs).This work presents a viable strategy for utilizing rare earth element doped spinels to enhance oxygen catalyst and ZABs performance.