Construction of Fe–In Alloy to Enable High Activity and Durability of Fe–N–C Catalysts

The strategic regulation of the electronic properties and coordination environment of single‐atom sites through the integration of metal nanoclusters emerges as a promising route to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of Fe–N–C materials. Here, a catalyst (FeIn–NC) is successfull...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced functional materials 2024-12, Vol.34 (52), p.n/a
Main Authors: Sun, Zhuangzhi, Zhong, Yi, Sui, Heyu, Liu, Jia, Xie, Pengfei, Ding, Shujiang, Su, Yaqiong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysts
Charge distribution
Chemical reduction
Durability
Electronic properties
Electronic structure
Fe single atom
Ferrous alloys
Iron
iron Indium alloy
Metal air batteries
Nanoalloys
Nanoclusters
oxygen reduction reaction
Oxygen reduction reactions
Zinc-oxygen batteries
zinc–air battery
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The strategic regulation of the electronic properties and coordination environment of single‐atom sites through the integration of metal nanoclusters emerges as a promising route to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of Fe–N–C materials. Here, a catalyst (FeIn–NC) is successfully developed in which Fe–N–C materials encapsulate Fe–In alloy nanoclusters, and it shows excellent ORR activity and durability under alkaline conditions, with a high half‐wave potential of 0.924 V (vs RHE) and a zinc–air battery power density of 202.1 mW cm−2, superior to commercial Pt/C catalysts. Theoretical calculations unravel that the synergistic interaction between the Fe–In alloy and the FeN4 single‐atom site modifies the electronic structure and charge distribution at the FeN4 site, thereby enhancing the electrocatalytic activity and durability of the ORR. Potential‐dependent microkinetic modeling (MKM) further discloses the ORR mechanisms on the identified FeN4 sites. This work provides a viable strategy for the ORR improvement of Fe–N–C materials via p‐block metal‐based alloy nanoclusters. Incorporating p‐block metal indium into the Fe–N–C system to form Fe–In alloy can strongly modify the electronic structure and charge distribution of FeN4 sites. The synergistic effect between FeN4 site and Fe–In alloy significantly enhances catalytic activity and durability, by boosting OH* desorption for an improved ORR kinetics.
ISSN:1616-301X
1616-3028
DOI:10.1002/adfm.202410774