Zn/N/S Co-doped hierarchical porous carbon as a high-efficiency oxygen reduction catalyst in Zn-air batteries

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry Vol. 52; no. 45; pp. 16773 - 16779
• Main Authors: Liu, Mincong, Zhang, Jing, Ye, Guohua, Peng, Yan, Guan, Shiyou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 21.11.2023
• Subjects: Carbon; Catalysts; Chemical reduction; Electrocatalysts; Metal air batteries; Open circuit voltage; Oxygen reduction reactions; Ruthenium oxide; Zinc-oxygen batteries
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/d3dt03172a

Zn-N-C catalysts have garnered attention as potential electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, their intrinsic limitations, including poor activity and a low density of active sites, continue to hinder their electrocatalytic performance. In this study, we have devised a dual-template strategy for the synthesis of Zn, N, S co-doped nanoporous carbon-based catalysts (Zn-N/S-C(S, Z)) with a substantial specific surface area and a graded pore structure. The introduction of S enhances electron localization around the Zn-N x active centers, facilitating interactions with oxygen-containing substances. The resulting Zn-N/S-C(S, Z) sample exhibits outstanding performance in an alkaline solution, demonstrating a half-wave potential of 0.89 V. This value surpasses that of commercial Pt/C by 40 mV. Furthermore, when combined with RuO 2 (Zn-N/S-C(S, Z) + RuO 2 ), the catalyst demonstrates exceptional performance in a Zn-air battery, offering an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.47 V and a peak power density of 290.8 mW cm −2 . This study paves the way for the development of highly dispersed and highly active Zn-metal site catalysts, potentially replacing traditional Pt-based catalysts in various electrochemical devices. Zn/N/S co doped hierarchical porous carbon exhibits excellent performance as an oxygen reduction catalyst for zinc air batteries.