Cu and P co-doped nitrogen-doped hierarchical carbon for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction in zinc-air battery

Abstract

The Fe based nitrogen-doped carbon oxygen reduction catalysts with high performance have been widely reported, however, the Fenton reaction faced by such catalysts has hindered its practical application in the fuel cell. The development of cheap, effective, and durable non-Fe nitrogen-doped carbon electrocatalysts is important to fuel cell technology. In this work, we have introduced a molecular coordination chemistry method to synthesize Cu and P co-doped nitrogen-doped hierarchical carbon (Cu-P-N-C) oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) electrocatalyst by pyrolyzing a mixture of phytate and melamine. The refined Cu-P-N-C material showcases a three-dimensional, porous, interconnected nanosheet structure with ultra-high specific surface area and an abundance of active sites. The Cu-P-N-C catalyst has displayed a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.86 VRHE, which transcends that of commercial Pt/C in 0.1M KOH. It also maintains impressive long-term stability, retaining 95.4% of its initial activity after extensive testing. When integrated into zinc-air batteries (ZABs), the Cu-P-N-C electrocatalyst delivers exceptional performance, achieving a high peak power density of 164.5 mW·cm-2, a promising specific capacity of 807 mAh·g-1, and remarkable stability. These findings underscore the potential of Cu-P-N-C as a potential candidate for next-generation ORR electrocatalysts in new energy devices.