Electronic Asymmetry Engineering of Fe–N–C Electrocatalyst via Adjacent Carbon Vacancy for Boosting Oxygen Reduction Reaction
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2023-09-26 |
| Journal | Advanced Science |
| Authors | Huanlu Tu, Haixia Zhang, Yanhui Song, Peizhi Liu, Ying Hou |
| Institutions | Queensland University of Technology, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology |
| Citations | 67 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”Abstract Single‐atomic transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) structures are promising alternatives toward noble‐metal‐based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis involved in sustainable energy devices. The symmetrical electronic density distribution of the M─N 4 moieties, however, leads to unfavorable intermediate adsorption and sluggish kinetics. Herein, a Fe-N-C catalyst with electronic asymmetry induced by one nearest carbon vacancy adjacent to Fe─N 4 is conceptually produced, which induces an optimized d‐band center, lowered free energy barrier, and thus superior ORR activity with a half‐wave potential ( E 1/2 ) of 0.934 V in a challenging acidic solution and 0.901 V in an alkaline solution. When assembled as the cathode of a Zinc-air battery (ZAB), a peak power density of 218 mW cm −2 and long‐term durability up to 200 h are recorded, 1.5 times higher than the noble metal‐based Pt/C+RuO 2 catalyst. This work provides a new strategy on developing efficient M-N-C catalysts and offers an opportunity for the real‐world application of fuel cells and metal-air batteries.