Chlorine–Nitrogen Doped Hollow Polyhedral Carbon-Based Catalysts for High Performance Zinc–Air Batteries

• Published in: Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2024-11, Vol.63 (45), p.19498-19505
• Main Authors: Li, Junhao, Bao, Mujie, Pan, Jiajie, Wang, Kaixin, Li, Tong, Yang, Wei, Liu, Quanbing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Kinetics, Catalysis, and Reaction Engineering
• ISSN: 0888-5885; 1520-5045
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.4c03089

It is significant to exploit low-cost and high-activity electrocatalysts for practical zinc–air batteries (ZABs). Herein, a chlorine-nitrogen codoped hollow carbon polyhedron catalyst (Cl-NC-1000) is synthesized by the thermal decomposition of ZIF precursors with a template and intercalating agent of NaCl. Experimental results demonstrate that the synergistic effect of chlorine and nitrogen adjusts the electronic structure of neighboring carbon atoms, facilitating the capturing/releasing of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) intermediates, thereby reinforcing the intrinsic activity. As a result, the fabricated Cl-NC-1000 catalyst exhibits an outstanding ORR performance, including catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability. When applied in ZABs, the Cl-NC-1000 catalyst maintains a voltage difference of ca. 0.96 V at 5 mA cm–2 and cycles over 300 h with an energy efficiency of 53%, superior to those of commercial Pt/C-based rechargeable ZABs. This work provides an efficient strategy for designing cost-effective and high-activity nonmetallic ORR catalysts.