MOF-derived heterostructure CoNi/CoNiP anchored on MXene framework as a superior bifunctional electrocatalyst for zinc-air batteries

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are regarded as promising next-generation energy storage devices but limited by their sluggish oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OER). Herein, the bifunctional catalyst consisting of MXene and metal compounds has been constructed via a controllable strategy. For demonstration, a 3D MXene framework with anchored heterostructure CoNi/CoNiP and nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) called H-CNP@M is constructed by metal-ion inducement and phosphorization. The bimetal-semiconductor heterostructure greatly enhances the catalytic performance. The H-CNP@M exhibits superior activities toward ORR ( E 1/ 2 = 0.833 V) and OER ( eta 10 = 294 mV). Both aqueous and all-solid-state ZAB assembled with H-CNP@M demonstrate superior performance (peak power density of 166.5 mW/cm 2 in aqueous case). This work provides a facile and general strategy to prepare MXene-supported bimetallic heterostructure for high-performance electrochemical energy devices. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

In this study, a bifunctional catalyst consisting of MXene and metal compounds was constructed to enhance the catalytic performance of zinc-air batteries (ZABs). The MXene-supported bimetallic heterostructure showed superior activities for oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OER), leading to improved performance of aqueous and all-solid-state ZABs.