Co/Ni dual-metal embedded in heteroatom doped porous carbon core-shell bifunctional electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries

Jun Li; Huaibin Xue; Nengneng Xu; Xiucheng Zhang; Yongxia Wang; Rui He; Haitao Huang; Jinli Qiao

Materials Reports: Energy (May 2022)

Co/Ni dual-metal embedded in heteroatom doped porous carbon core-shell bifunctional electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries

Jun Li,
Huaibin Xue,
Nengneng Xu,
Xiucheng Zhang,
Yongxia Wang,
Rui He,
Haitao Huang,
Jinli Qiao

Affiliations

Jun Li: State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
Huaibin Xue: Shanghai Zhongfu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center, Lingang, Shanghai, 201306, China
Nengneng Xu: State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China; Shanghai Zhongfu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center, Lingang, Shanghai, 201306, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, 2999 Ren’min North Road, Shanghai, 201620, China.
Xiucheng Zhang: Shanghai Zhongfu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center, Lingang, Shanghai, 201306, China
Yongxia Wang: State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China; Corresponding author.
Rui He: State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
Haitao Huang: Department of Applied Physics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hongkong, China
Jinli Qiao: State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China; Shanghai Zhongfu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center, Lingang, Shanghai, 201306, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, 2999 Ren’min North Road, Shanghai, 201620, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2, no. 2
p. 100090

Abstract

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Rational construction of highly efficient and cheap bifunctional electrocatalysts to boost both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is extremely essential for the wide application of rechargeable metal-air battery. In this work, we design a core-shell structural catalyst of CoNi dual-metal embedded in nitrogen doped porous carbon (NPC, CoNi@NPC), which is developed via the pyrolysis of CoNi-MOFs, assisting by mesoporous SiO2 to effectively inhibit the aggregation of metal sites. Consequently, the as-prepared CoNi@NPC manifests good ORR activity with half-wave potential up to 0.77 V. Specifically, the CoNi@NPC gives a very low OER over-potential of merely 101 mV in 6 M KOH along with high stability, outperforming the commercial Pt/C-RuO2. Moreover, the home-made zinc air battery with CoNi@NPC air cathode demonstrates excellent stability over long-term charging–discharging test, and delivers the maximum power density of 224 mW cm−2. The enhanced high performance of CoNi@NPC bifunctional catalyst for both ORR and OER can be ascribed to its unique core-shell structure and strong synergistic effect between the dual-bimetal active sites and the heteroatom doped carbon. This work opens a new avenue for the rational design of nonprecious metal bifunctional catalysts for rechargeable metal-air battery.

Published in Materials Reports: Energy

ISSN: 2666-9358 (Online)
Publisher: KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering: Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/materials-reports-energy/

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