Zhou Tianpei, Shan Huan, Yu Hao, Zhong Cheng'an, Ge Jiankai, Zhang Nan, Chu Wangsheng, Yan Wensheng, Xu Qian, Wu Heng'an, Wu Changzheng, Xie Yi
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, P. R. China.
CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, P. R. China.
Adv Mater. 2020 Nov;32(47):e2003251. doi: 10.1002/adma.202003251. Epub 2020 Oct 18.
Metal-air fuel cells with high energy density, eco-friendliness, and low cost bring significantly high security to future power systems. However, the impending challenges of low power density and high-current-density stability limit their widespread applications. In this study, an ultrahigh-power-density Zn-air fuel cell with robust stability is highlighted. Benefiting from the water-resistance effect of the confined nanopores, the highly active cobalt cluster electrocatalysts reside in specific nanopores and possess stable triple-phase reaction areas, leading to the synergistic optimization of electron conduction, oxygen gas diffusion, and ion transport for electrocatalysis. As a result, the as-established Zn-air fuel cell shows the best stability under high-current-density discharging (>90 h at 100 mA cm ) and superior power density (peak power density: >300 mW cm , specific power: 500 Wg ) compared to most reported non-noble-metal electrocatalysts. The findings will provide new insights in the rational design of electrocatalysts for advanced metal-air fuel cell systems.
