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Title Iron phthalocyanine coupled with Co-Nx sites in carbon nanostraws for Zn-Air batteries
Type JournalPaper
Keywords carbon nanostraw, carbon nanostraw, Iron phthalocyanine
Abstract The energy crisis heightens interest in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), where the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a critical cathodic process hindered by its intrinsic sluggish kinetics. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) at the molecular level, notably those featuring an Fe-N4 structure derived from iron phthalocyanine (FePc), exhibit significant potential but confront the challenges of aggregation and inadequate electrical conductivity. Herein, we present a novel FePc coupled with defect-rich CoNx-doped hollow carbon nanostraw derived from cobalt-doped indium-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). This enhancement is attributed to the CoNx structure’s effective modulation of the Fe-N4 active sites, further complemented by the hollow nanostraw structure, which significantly increases the accessibility of active sites, thereby promoting enhanced catalytic performance. FePc@HCoNC demonstrates exceptional ORR performance with an oxygen reduction potential of 0.903 V, half-wave potential of 0.914 V, and limiting current density of 5.18 mA cm−2. For zinc-air batteries (ZABs), FePc@HCoNC achieves an open-circuit voltage of 1.524 V, peak power density of 153.06 mW cm−2, specific capacity of 758.10 mAh g−1, and stable cycling for 150 h. These findings underscore its potential as a superior alternative to precious metal-based catalysts, offering a pathway to more sustainable and efficient energy conversion technologies.
Researchers Jinjie Qian (Not In First Six Researchers), Ting-Ting Li (Not In First Six Researchers), Reza Abazari (Fifth Researcher), Linjie Zhang (Fourth Researcher), Jie Liu (Third Researcher), Junliang Chen (Second Researcher), Yi Wu (First Researcher)