Ni 3 Fe/Ni 3 Fe(OOH) x dynamically coupled on wood-derived nitrogen doped carbon as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for rechargeable zinc–air batteries

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 1894 - 1905
• Main Authors: Wang, Yi, Liu, Yanyan, Zhou, Limin, Zhang, Pengxiang, Wu, Xianli, Liu, Tao, Mehdi, Sehrish, Guo, Xianji, Jiang, Jianchun, Li, Baojun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 24.01.2023
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/D2TA09269G

Advances in rechargeable zinc–air batteries are hindered by the lack of efficient and economical oxygen electrocatalysts. Herein, a monolithic bifunctional catalyst is rationally constructed via an in situ growth of a FeNi 3 alloy on nitrogen-doped wood-derived carbon (FeNi 3 @NWC). FeNi 3 alloy nanoparticles coupled with nitrogen-doped carbon expedite the catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by promoting proton generation on FeNi 3 and transfer to nitrogen-doped carbon. The actual formation of Ni 1– x Fe x OOH on the surface of the FeNi 3 alloy effectively accelerates oxygen evolution reaction (OER) via the charge transfer with outstanding activity. The potential gap of only 0.68 V between ORR and OER of FeNi 3 @NWC is achieved. The liquid zinc–air batteries (ZABs) with FeNi 3 @NWC convey a robust lifetime of ∼266 h (800 cycles) with stable charging and discharging. Theoretical calculations manifest that the construction of double active sites through a synergistic mechanism between the FeNi 3 alloy and catalytically active carbon ignites the prominent catalytic activity with superior stability. This work provides remarkable inspiration for the rational design of biomass-derived efficient electrocatalysts and will facilitate the practical application of energy storage and conversion devices.