Issue 27, 2024

A single-atom iron catalyst on hierarchical N-doped carbon for highly efficient oxygen reduction in Zn–air batteries

Abstract

Single-atom iron electrocatalysts have emerged as up-and-coming alternatives to platinum-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. However, their further development has been impeded by complex fabrication procedures and limitations in long-term stability. This study developed a chemical vapor deposition approach for synthesizing an efficient iron single-atom electrocatalyst denoted as Fe-SA@NC, utilizing vaporized ferrocene to deposit on a hierarchical N-doped carbon derived from ZIF-8. The preparation process maintained the initial pore structure throughout the deposition process by utilizing a two-step pyrolysis, preventing the collapse or deformation of the pore structure and frameworks. The optimized catalyst exhibited an exceptional half-wave potential (0.932 V) and kinetic current density (28.38 mA cm−2 at 0.9 V vs. RHE), along with high turnover frequency (36.37 s−1) and mass activity (5.68 A mg−1), and remarkable long-term stability in an alkaline electrolyte, exceeding those of commercial Pt/C and most previously reported iron-based electrocatalysts. Moreover, it also demonstrated outstanding practicability in both liquid and solid Zn–air batteries. The formation of well-dispersed Fe–N4 with strong interaction on hierarchical N-doped carbon was verified in the correlation of the structural activity and the excellent performance of Fe-SA@NC. This work sheds some light on the facile synthesis of single-atom catalysts with effective efficiency and stability.

Graphical abstract: A single-atom iron catalyst on hierarchical N-doped carbon for highly efficient oxygen reduction in Zn–air batteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 May 2024
Accepted
03 Jun 2024
First published
04 Jun 2024

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024,12, 16528-16536

A single-atom iron catalyst on hierarchical N-doped carbon for highly efficient oxygen reduction in Zn–air batteries

J. Gu, J. Wang, Q. Wu, C. Wang, F. Verpoort and S. Chaemchuen, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, 12, 16528 DOI: 10.1039/D4TA03039G

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