Noble metal-free N-doped carbon-based electrocatalysts for air electrode of rechargeable zinc-air battery

Ni3Se4/Fe(PO3)2/NF composites as high-efficiency electrocatalysts with a low overpotential for the oxygen evolution reaction

“…4 The electrolysis of water involves two half-reactions that produce hydrogen and oxygen at the cathode and anode, known as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) 5,6 and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), 7,8 respectively. However, because the OER reaction has multi-electron transfer steps with multiple active intermediates, the reaction is complex and needs to cross a large energy barrier, 2 the overpotential is often more than twice that of the HER reaction, and the energy conversion rate is greatly limited, 9,10 increasing the electrical energy consumption; 8 thus, the voltage required for water electrolysis is much larger than the theoretical voltage of water decomposition (1.23 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), 11 which is an important reason for the competitive disadvantage of hydrogen production from water electrolysis compared with traditional fossil energy hydrogen production. 12 Therefore, it is of great significance to find low-cost electrocatalysts with superior OER activity and stability, reduce the overpotential of the OER, and solve the bottleneck of slow OER half-reaction kinetics.…”

Co/Co3O4 Heterojunctions Encased in Porous N-Doped Carbon Nanocapsules for High-Performance Cathode of Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries

“…The issue of energy scarcity in human society can be resolved by the deployment of green rechargeable energy storage devices, which can also lessen the impact of the oil crisis on local conflicts. − Rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs) are becoming more and more popular because of their low cost, safety, and high energy density (1218 W h kg –1 ). , However, the slow oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode prevent ZABs from being widely commercialized. , Platinum–carbon catalyst (Pt/C) is currently considered to have high ORR catalytic performance, and iridium oxide (IrO 2 )/ruthenium oxide (RuO 2 ) catalysts are considered to own superior OER catalytic performance. , Unfortunately, noble-metal-based catalysts are expensive and challenging to use as both the OER and the ORR bifunctional catalysts. As a result, although the procedure is difficult, it is critical to produce affordable bifunctional catalysts with high ORR and OER catalytic capabilities to substitute noble metal catalysts for ZABs. − …”

Advanced design strategies for Fe-based metal–organic framework-derived electrocatalysts toward high-performance Zn–air batteries

“…In particular, M–N–C exhibits stable properties and excellent catalytic performance in electrode reactions. 17 The combination of transition metals and carbon materials not only possesses the conductivity of highly graphitized carbon materials but also the high catalytic activity of metal sites. At the same time, carbon materials provide good binding sites and protection for transition metal atoms, avoiding corrosion and aggregation after long-term cycling.…”