As the demand for sustainable energy solutions grows, researchers have developed a novel bifunctional oxygen catalyst, CoNC@FePc, for rechargeable zinc-air batteries (RZABs). Current catalysts, such as Pt/C and RuO₂, are expensive and lack long-term stability. The CoNC@FePc catalyst, synthesized by anchoring iron phthalocyanine molecules onto cobalt nanoparticles, demonstrates exceptional performance in both oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. It achieves a half-wave potential of 0.87 V and a low overpotential of 314 mV, outperforming commercial catalysts. When incorporated into zinc-air batteries, CoNC@FePc delivers a peak power density of 150.2 mW/cm² and maintains outstanding cyclic stability for over 100 hours. This research offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative to noble metal-based catalysts, addressing the need for affordable and sustainable energy storage solutions. The findings have significant implications for the development of next-generation zinc-air batteries, which require high efficiency and long-term stability to become viable commercial products. The CoNC@FePc catalyst provides a new strategy for developing advanced bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts, advancing the field of clean energy technologies.
Cobalt-carbon nanomaterials derived from ZIF-67 are anchored with molecular iron phthalocyanines to create bifunctional catalysts for oxygen reactions.
