Bifunctional ligand Co metal-organic framework derived heterostructured Co-based nanocomposites as oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable zinc-air batteries

Xiaoying Xie; Zeyu Zhai; Weiwei Cao; Jiamin Dong; Yushan Li; Qiusai Hou; Guixiang Du; Jiajun Wang; Li Tian; Jingbo Zhang; Tierui Zhang; Lu Shang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.040

Bifunctional ligand Co metal-organic framework derived heterostructured Co-based nanocomposites as oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable zinc-air batteries

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Jun 15:664:319-328. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.040. Epub 2024 Mar 7.

Authors

Xiaoying Xie¹, Zeyu Zhai¹, Weiwei Cao¹, Jiamin Dong¹, Yushan Li¹, Qiusai Hou¹, Guixiang Du¹, Jiajun Wang¹, Li Tian², Jingbo Zhang³, Tierui Zhang⁴, Lu Shang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China.
² Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China. Electronic address: hxxytl@mail.tjnu.edu.cn.
³ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China. Electronic address: hxxyzjb@tjnu.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. Electronic address: lushang@mail.ipc.ac.cn.

PMID: 38479268
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.040

Abstract

Rational construction of efficient and robust bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is key but challenging for the widespread application of rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, bifunctional ligand Co metal-organic frameworks were first explored to fabricate a hybrid of heterostructured CoO_x/Co nanoparticles anchored on a carbon substrate rich in CoN_x sites (CoO_x/Co@CoNC) via a one-step pyrolysis method. Such a unique heterostructure provides abundant CoN_x and CoO_x/Co active sites to drive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. Besides, their positive synergies facilitate electron transfer and optimize charge/mass transportation. Consequently, the obtained CoO_x/Co@CoNC exhibits a superior ORR activity with a higher half-wave potential of 0.88 V than Pt/C (0.83 V vs. RHE), and a comparable OER performance with an overpotential of 346 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 to the commercial RuO₂. The assembled ZAB using CoO_x/Co@CoNC as a cathode catalyst displays a maximum power density of 168.4 mW cm^-2, and excellent charge-discharge cyclability over 250 h at 5 mA cm^-2. This work highlights the great potential of heterostructures in oxygen electrocatalysis and provides a new pathway for designing efficient bifunctional oxygen catalysts toward rechargeable ZABs.

Keywords: Cobalt oxide; Heterostructures; Metal-organic framework; Oxygen electrocatalysts; Zinc-air battery.