Zhang Tongrui, Bian Juanjuan, Zhu Yuanqin, Sun Chunwen
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, P. R. China.
School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China.
Small. 2021 Nov;17(44):e2103737. doi: 10.1002/smll.202103737. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
Low-cost bifunctional nonprecious metal catalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are critical for the commercialization of rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). However, the preparation of highly active and durable bifunctional catalysts is still challenging. Herein, an efficient catalyst is reported consisting of FeCo nanoparticles embedded in N-doped carbon nanotubes (FeCo NPs-N-CNTs) by an in situ catalytic strategy. Due to the encapsulation and porous structure of N-doped carbon nanotubes, the catalyst shows high activity toward ORR and excellent durability. Furthermore, to enhance the OER activity, CoFe-layer double hydroxide (CoFe-LDH) is coupled with FeCo NPs-N-CNTs by in situ reaction approach. As the air electrode for rechargeable ZABs, the cell with CoFe-LDH@FeCo NPs-N-CNTs catalyst exhibits high open-circuit potential (OCP) of 1.51 V, high power density of 116 mW cm , and remarkable durability up to 100 h, demonstrating its great promise for the practical application of the rechargeable ZABs.
低成本的双功能非贵金属催化剂对于氧还原反应（ORR）和析氧反应（OER）而言，对可充电锌空气电池（ZAB）的商业化至关重要。然而，制备高活性和耐用的双功能催化剂仍然具有挑战性。在此，报道了一种通过原位催化策略由嵌入氮掺杂碳纳米管（FeCo NPs-N-CNTs）中的FeCo纳米颗粒组成的高效催化剂。由于氮掺杂碳纳米管的封装和多孔结构，该催化剂对ORR表现出高活性和优异的耐久性。此外，为了提高OER活性，通过原位反应方法将CoFe层状双氢氧化物（CoFe-LDH）与FeCo NPs-N-CNTs耦合。作为可充电ZAB的空气电极，具有CoFe-LDH@FeCo NPs-N-CNTs催化剂的电池表现出1.51 V的高开路电位（OCP）、116 mW cm的高功率密度以及长达100小时的卓越耐久性，证明了其在可充电ZAB实际应用中的巨大潜力。
