2D Metal Porphyrin-Based MOFs and ZIF-8 Composite-Derived Carbon Materials Containing M–N_x Active Sites as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Zinc–Air Batteries

Abstract

The main impediment to the development of zinc− air batteries is the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Transition metal N-doped carbon catalysts offer a promising alternative to noble metal catalysts, with metal−organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon material catalysts being particularly noteworthy. Here, we synthesized M x P-Z-C carbon catalysts by combining two-dimensional (2D) metal porphyrin-based MOFs (M x PMFs, x = Fe, Co, Ni, Mn) and three-dimensional zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) through electrostatic interaction, followed by carbonization. ZIF-8 was inserted between the layers of M x PMFs to prevent its Π−Π stacking, allowing the active sites to become fully exposed. M x P-Z-C demonstrated an impressive catalytic activity for both the ORR and the OER reactions. Among them, FeP-Z-C showed the best catalytic activity. The half-wave potential for ORR was 0.92 V (vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), while the overpotential for the OER was 290 mV. In addition, the zinc− air battery assembled by FeP-Z-C exhibited high power density (133.14 mW cm −2 ) and significant specific capacity (816 mAh g Zn −1), indicating considerable potential as a bifunctional catalyst for electronic devices.