Strain‐Regulated Pt–NiO@Ni Sub‐Micron Particles Achieving Bifunctional Electrocatalysis for Zinc–Air Battery

Abstract

Highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have always been the key factors to affect the performance of zinc–air batteries. However, integrating the independent reaction sites of ORR and OER in a catalyst remains a major challenge. Herein, a collaborative strategy based on defect induction and doping is proposed to prepare the strain‐regulated Pt–NiO@Ni sub‐micron particles (Pt–NiO@Ni SP). Benefiting from the synergistic effect of tensile strain and Pt‐doped, the metallic Ni‐based sub‐micron particles with tensile strain as the catalyst carriers can effectively optimize the electronic distribution of atomic structures in Pt and NiO on the surface of particles, leading to reduce the energy barrier of intermediates for ORR and OER. Consequently, the Pt–NiO@Ni SP exhibits outstanding bifunctional catalytic activity with the ΔE index of 0.65 V under a low Pt loading, outperforming that of the benchmark Pt/C+IrO2 catalysts (0.76 V). Impressively, the Pt–NiO@Ni SP‐based liquid zinc–air battery develops a high open‐circuit potential (1.47 V), excellent energy density (188.2 mW cm−2), and favorable cyclic charge–discharge cycling durability (200 h at 20 mA cm−2). This work provides an innovative avenue for the rational construction of highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for practical applications.

Engineering built-in electric fields in oxygen-deficient MnO-CeO2@Cs catalysts: enhanced performance and kinetics for the oxygen reduction reaction in aqueous/flexible zinc–air batteries

“…Transition metal oxides are gaining traction as potential oxygen electrocatalysts, with Mn-based oxides drawing attention for their cost-effectiveness and abundant supply. 10–12 These oxides exhibit excellent capability in facilitating charge transfer and accelerating the decomposition of intermediates. 13 Moreover, the rare-earth metal oxide CeO 2 is widely employed in various catalytic domains, attributed to its superb catalytic activity and resilience.…”

Covalent Tethering of Cobalt Porphyrins on Phenolic Resins for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions

“…Due to the very slow kinetics of these four‐electron four‐proton reactions, highly efficient electrocatalysts are required [6–9] . Electrocatalysts based on noble metal elements, such as Pt/C, [10,11] Ir/C, [12,13] and RuO 2 , [14] are highly active for these two reactions, but the high prices and low earth abundances of these noble metal elements limit their large‐scale uses. Therefore, developing low‐cost and high‐performance electrocatalysts for ORR and OER has attracted increasing interests in the past decades [15–27] …”