Co/N-Doped hierarchical porous carbon as an efficient oxygen electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn–air battery. Issue 26 (28th April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhou, Wenshu; Liu, Yanyan; Liu, Huan; Wu, Dichao; Zhang, Gaoyue; Jiang, Jianchun
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 11:Issue 26(2021)
• Page Start: 15753
• Page End: 15761
• Publication Date: 2021-04-28
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ra01639c
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : The surface-oxidized Co nanoparticles incorporated in N-doped hierarchically porous carbon materials are designed as ORR/OER catalyst for rechargeable Zn–air batteries via dual-templating strategy and pyrolysis process. Abstract : Developing efficient electrocatalysts for ORR/OER is the key issue for the large-scale application of rechargeable Zn–air batteries. The design of Co and N co-doped carbon matrices has become a promising strategy for the fabrication of bi-functional electrocatalysts. Herein, the surface-oxidized Co nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated into N-doped hierarchically porous carbon materials (Co/NHPC) are designed as ORR/OER catalysts for rechargeable Zn–air batteries via dual-templating strategy and pyrolysis process containing Co 2+ . The fabricated electrocatalyst displays a core–shell structure with the surface-oxidized Co nanoparticles anchored on hierarchically porous carbon sheets. The carbon shells prevent Co NP cores from aggregating, ensuring excellent electrocatalytic properties for ORR with a half-wave potential of 0.82 V and a moderate OER performance. Notably, the obtained Co/NHPC as a cathode was further assembled in a zinc–air battery that delivered an open-circuit potential of 1.50 V, even superior to that of Pt/C (1.46 V vs. RHE), a low charge–discharge voltage gap, and long cycle life. All these results demonstrate that this study provides a simple, scalable, and efficient approach to fabricate cost-effective high-performance ORR/OER catalysts for rechargeable Zn–air batteries.