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Breakthrough in Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries through Rationally Designed Catalysts

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research conducted by scientists at the Guangdong University of Technology has led to a significant advancement in rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). By developing a novel bifunctional electrocatalyst with a nitrogen-doped carbon-coated FeCo alloy core, the team achieved remarkable performance in both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. This breakthrough has the potential to enhance the efficiency and stability of ZABs, making them a more viable option for sustainable energy storage.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research team successfully designed a nitrogen-doped carbon-coated FeCo alloy core catalyst (Fe1Co1@NC) with an average particle size of 13.11 nm, which exhibited exceptional bifunctional performance.
  • The Fe1Co1@NC catalyst displayed a high half-wave potential of 0.85 V in the oxygen reduction reaction and required only 334 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 for the oxygen evolution reaction.
  • The Fe1Co1@NC-based ZAB demonstrated superb cycling stability and an ultra-high peak power density of 165.3 mW cm-2, functioning steadily for over 350 h.
  • The optimized electronic structure of N-doped carbon@feco alloys played a crucial role in achieving remarkable bifunctional oxygen catalyst performance.
  • The research sheds light on the structure-activity relationship of bimetallic alloy catalysts and their potential for superior-performance ZAB applications.

Statistics:

  • The Fe1Co1@NC catalyst had an average particle size of 13.11 nm.
  • The Fe1Co1@NC displayed a high half-wave potential of 0.85 V in the oxygen reduction reaction.
  • The Fe1Co1@NC-based ZAB required only 334 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 for the oxygen evolution reaction.
  • The Fe1Co1@NC-based ZAB demonstrated cycling stability for over 350 h.
  • The peak power density of the Fe1Co1@NC-based ZAB was 165.3 mW cm-2.

Sources:

  • Journal of Power Sources, 2025;641: "Optimized Electronic Structure of N-doped Carbon@feco Alloys: Remarkable Bifunctional Oxygen Catalyst for Rechargeable Zinc-air Batteries" by Ming Sun et al. Published by Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands (www.elsevier.com, www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-power-sources/)
  • News of Science, 2025; p 1172: "Findings on Chemicals and Chemistry Detailed by Investigators at Guangdong University of Technology (Optimized Electronic Structure of N-doped Carbon@feco Alloys: Remarkable Bifunctional Oxygen Catalyst for Rechargeable Zinc-air Batteries)" by NewsRx.

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