Nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulating iron-doped Co0.5Ni0.5 alloy derived from MOF-on-MOF as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst for zinc-air batteries
摘要
Developing bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as precursors or templates is a viable approach for zinc-air battery commercialization. MOFs enable the design of catalysts with diverse morphologies and unique structures, enhancing oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) performance. Herein, the “MOF-on-MOF” structure was constructed to prepare carbon matrix-encapsulated iron-doped cobalt–nickel alloy nanoparticles (CoxNiyFezMOF@MOF). The results demonstrate that the Co0.475Ni0.475Fe0.05MOF@MOF exhibits superior ORR/OER performance in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte (E1/2 = 0.86 V, Ej=10 = 1.61 V, ∆E = 0.75 V) and durability in comparison to commercial Pt/C catalysts. The zinc-air battery assembled with a Co0.475Ni0.475Fe0.05MOF@MOF air cathode shows a superior maximum power density (184 mW·cm−2). These enhancements are primarily due to the incorporation of iron ions into the CoNi alloy, which optimizes its specific surface area, pore structure, and electronic structure, significantly enhancing its catalytic performance for ORR and OER. These improvements enable the catalyst to outperform others in zinc-air batteries, demonstrating its potential to replace commercial Pt/C catalysts and showcasing its promising applications in energy storage devices.
Graphical Abstract