Here, a free-standing
electrode composed of cobalt phosphides (Co2P) supported
by cobalt nitride moieties (CoNx)
and an N,P-codoped porous carbon nanofiber (CNF) in one-step electrospinning
of environmentally friendly benign phosphorous precursors is reported.
Physiochemical characterization revealed the symbiotic relationship
between a Co2P crystal and surrounding nanometer-sized
CoNx moieties embedded in an N,P-codoped porous carbon
matrix. Co2P@CNF shows high oxygen reduction reaction and
oxygen evolution reaction performance owing to the synergistic effect
of Co2P nanocrystals and the neighboring CoNx moieties, which have the optimum binding strength of reactants and
facilitate the mass transfer. The free-standing Co2P@CNF
air-cathode-based Zn–air batteries deliver a power density
of 121 mW cm–2 at a voltage of 0.76 V. The overall
overpotential of Co2P@CNF-based Zn–air batteries
can be significantly reduced, with low discharge–charge voltage
gap (0.81 V at 10 mA cm–2) and high cycling stability,
which outperform the benchmark Pt/C-based Zn–air batteries.
The one-step electrospinning method can serve as a universal platform
to develop other high-performance transition-metal phosphide catalysts
benefitting from the synergy effect of transition nitride satellite
shells. The free-standing and flexible properties of Co2P@CNF make it a potential candidate for wearable electronic devices.
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