In situ alloying strategy constructed Fe₃Co–N–C electrocatalysts with designed 1D/3D hierarchical networks for rechargeable zinc–air battery

Abstract

Rechargeable zinc–air batteries (RZABs), emerged as a prospective energy conversion device, have garnered substantial attention from researchers over the past decades. Nevertheless, the sluggish kinetic processes related to the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) that occurred on the air cathode throughout the charge–discharge cycles pose a significant challenge. Therefore, the advancement of bifunctional electrocatalysts possessing excellent performance and robust cycling stability is of crucial importance. Herein, a coordination polymer (dimethylimidazolium-Co²⁺-potassium ferricyanide), assembled via chemical induced self-assembly strategy, has been utilized as precursors for the fabrication of 1D/3D dual carbon-supported Fe₃Co nitrogen carbides (Fe₃Co–NC). Confirmed by characterization results and theoretical calculations, the synergistic effect of FeN₂–CoN₃ active sites and the 1D/3D hierarchical networks effectively enhances its bifunctional ORR/OER activities under alkaline electrolyte conditions. Specifically, as-prepared Fe₃Co-NC composite exhibits a remarkable half-wave potential of 0.88 V and achieves a 1.67 V overpotential at 10 mA cm^–2. Moreover, the peak power density of the as-assembled RZAB reaches 182.4 mW cm^–2, maintaining an output voltage of approximately 1.1 V after 400 h of galvanostatic discharge–charge cycling. This research proposes a new, cost-effective, and high-performance synthesis approach for the preparation of bifunctional electrocatalysts.

Keywords

bifunctional electrocatalyst / carbon nanotubes / electrocatalysis / FeCo alloy / zinc–air batteries

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