Zhu Jiangtao, Zhang Quan, Wang Caiyun, Feng Yanhong, Zhang Yuanyuan, Qi Gaocan, Kang Lian, Luo Jun, Liu Xijun
MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
Guangxi Vocational & Technical Institute of Industry, Nanning 530001, Guangxi, China.
Nanoscale. 2025 Jan 29;17(5):2709-2717. doi: 10.1039/d4nr04843a.
The CO reduction reaction (CORR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) show great promise for expanding the use of renewable energy sources and fostering carbon neutrality. Sn-based catalysts show CORR activity; however, they have been rarely reported in the ORR. Herein, we prepared a nitrogen-carbon structure loaded with Fe-doped Sn nanoparticles (Fe-Sn/NC), which has good ORR and CORR activity. The results reveal that the Fe-Sn/NC catalysts deliver a high FE of 99.0% at a low overpotential of -0.47 V in an H-type cell for over 100 h. Notably, a peak power density of 1.36 mW cm is achieved in the Zn-CO battery with the Fe-Sn/NC cathode at discharge current densities varying from 2.0 to 4.0 mA cm, and the FE remains above 99.0%. Due to efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance and Zn-air battery (ZAB) characteristics, the ZAB-driven CORR has strong catalytic stability. This work proves that Fe-Sn/NC enhances the performance of the CORR and ORR, and the study of Zn-based batteries provides a new research direction for energy conversion.
