Issue 6, 2020

N-Doped-carbon/cobalt-nanoparticle/N-doped-carbon multi-layer sandwich nanohybrids derived from cobalt MOFs having 3D molecular structures as bifunctional electrocatalysts for on-chip solid-state Zn–air batteries

Abstract

The unsatisfactory energy efficiency and leakable liquid electrolytes in conventional Zn–air batteries with intrinsic semi-open structures greatly limit their opportunity to be a safe micropower source for flexible/wearable electronics. Herein, N-doped-carbon/cobalt-nanoparticle/N-doped-carbon (NdC-CoNP-NdC) multi-layer sandwich nanohybrids were first synthesized via the pyrolysis of a well-designed Co-MOF precursor with a 3D molecular framework. Profiting from the synergistic effect enabled by the interlayer-confined growth of monodispersed cobalt nanoparticles having high activity/stability and a thousand-layer-cake porous N-self-doped carbon skeleton of high conductivity and additional active sites as well as the reasonable design of a multi-layer sandwich interface structure between them that acts as an interconnected nanoreactor, the as-obtained NdC-CoNP-NdC multi-layer sandwich nanohybrids exhibit excellent bifunctional catalytic activity of a small ORR/OER gap (0.83 V). We followed a planar electrode configuration design with an interdigital carbon cloth coated with NdC-CoNP-NdC as the air cathode and an interdigital Zn foil as the metal anode as well as the introduction of a polyacrylamide-co-polyacrylic/6 M KOH alkaline gel as an incombustible solid-state electrolyte. Thus, on-chip all-solid-state rechargeable Zn–air batteries (OAR-ZABs) are further developed, achieving a cycle life up to 150 cycles per 50 h, high power density/specific capacity as much as 57.0 mW cm−2/771 mA h g−1, respectively, and excellent coplanar integration capability and mechanical flexibility for working steadily under bending deformation. Eventually, as an additional advancement, an autonomous smartwatch powered by the coplanar integrated OAR-ZABs is demonstrated, which possesses excellent integrity and flexibility and is comfortably wearable for timing and step counting dynamically; this demonstrates the successful application of assembling OAR-ZABs into highly integrated wearable electronics as a compatible micropower source.

Graphical abstract: N-Doped-carbon/cobalt-nanoparticle/N-doped-carbon multi-layer sandwich nanohybrids derived from cobalt MOFs having 3D molecular structures as bifunctional electrocatalysts for on-chip solid-state Zn–air batteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 nov. 2019
Accepted
06 janv. 2020
First published
07 janv. 2020

Nanoscale, 2020,12, 3750-3762

N-Doped-carbon/cobalt-nanoparticle/N-doped-carbon multi-layer sandwich nanohybrids derived from cobalt MOFs having 3D molecular structures as bifunctional electrocatalysts for on-chip solid-state Zn–air batteries

J. Zhao, H. Hu and M. Wu, Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 3750 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR09779A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements