FeNiCrCoMn High-Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles Loaded on Carbon Nanotubes as Bifunctional Oxygen Catalysts for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries

An efficient and stable bifunctional oxygen catalyst is necessary to complete the application of the rechargeable zinc-air battery. Herein, an economical and convenient process was adopted to successfully coat high-entropy alloy Fe₁₂Ni₂₃Cr₁₀Co_55-xMn_x nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In 0.1 M KOH solution, with a bifunctional oxygen overpotential (ΔE) of only 0.7 V, the catalyst Fe₁₂Ni₂₃Cr₁₀Co₃₀Mn₂₅/CNT exhibits excellent bifunctional oxygen catalytic performance, exceeding most catalysts reported so far. In addition, the air electrode assembled with this catalyst exhibits high specific capacity (760 mA h g^-1) and energy density (865.5 W h kg^-1) in a liquid zinc-air battery, with a long-term cycle stability over 256 h. The density functional theory calculation points out that changing the atomic ratio of Co/Mn can change the adsorption energy of the oxygen intermediate (*OOH), which allows the ORR catalytic process to be accelerated in the alkaline environment, thereby increasing the ORR catalytic activity. This article has important implications for the progress of commercially available bifunctional oxygen catalysts and their applications in zinc-air batteries.