Doping engineering: modulating the intrinsic activity of bifunctional carbon-based oxygen electrocatalysts for high-performance zinc–air batteries

Abstract

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) have been considered a promising alternative for next-generation sustainable electrical energy storage devices, owing to their low cost, safety, eco-friendliness, and high theoretical specific energy density, whereas...

Engineering g-C3N4 composited Fe-UIO-66 to in situ generate robust single-atom Fe sites for high-performance PEMFC and Zn–air battery

“…[25][26][27][28] Apart from increasing the intrinsic activity, adequate exposure to metal sites is also a prerequisite for designing highly efficient catalysts. Previous studies reported that few Fe-N X moieties could be referred to as the actual active sites toward ORR catalysis, [29][30][31][32][33][34][35] especially in the solid-state cathode catalyst layers of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cells. However, to match the anode, a large amount of catalysts must be assembled in the cathode of the MEA.…”

Recent advances of cobalt-based nitride catalysts in solar energy conversion

“…77 This modification method can improve the intrinsic activity of the original material and increase the number of active sites through synergistic, geometric and electronic effects. 78 Moreover, doping engineering can effectively adjust the electronic configuration of materials, simultaneously lower the reaction kinetics energy barriers, and can also introduce additional defects in the materials. 78,79 Therefore, metal doped cobalt-based nitrides have also been synthesized and studied in recent years.…”

Construction of 3D Hierarchical Co3O4@CoFe-LDH Heterostructures with Effective Interfacial Charge Redistribution for Rechargeable Liquid/Solid Zn–Air Batteries

“…As the consumption of conventional fossil fuels increases dramatically, the search for green, efficient, and renewable energies has become a vital issue for the sustainable development of human society. − Meanwhile, with the growing demand for wearable electronics, it is also increasingly essential to explore flexible energy storage devices that are flexible, lightweight, safe, high energy storage, long-life, and mechanically stable. , Metal-air batteries, especially zinc-air batteries (ZABs), are considered ideal energy storage systems for electric vehicles, grid energy storage, wearable portable devices, and other areas by virtue of their high theoretical energy density, reliable safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. − Previous studies have demonstrated that electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a crucial role in metal-air batteries and other sustainable energy conversion and storage devices. , Because of the multi-step proton-coupled electron transfer involved, however, the inherently slow kinetics of OER has gravely hindered the development of related technologies. , At present, noble metal-based catalysts, for instance, IrO 2 and RuO 2 , have been demonstrated to effectively promote OER but are still severely plagued by element scarcity, expensive cost, and unsatisfactory stability. , In addition, the polymer binder (Nafion) used for the powder catalysts in ZAB assembly often blocks the active site of nanostructured electrocatalysts and raises interface resistance, which also sets obstacles for high OER catalytic performance. , The preparation of self-supporting catalysts not only facilitates the exposure of active sites and reduces resistance but also enhances the binding force with the substrate to resist severe bubble impact that can occur during the OER process. − Consequently, it is of great value to develop cost-effective and additive-free OER catalysts with high efficiency and superior durability for the practical application and popularization of ZABs.…”