What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to develop a cost-effective cobalt-based catalyst to enhance the performance of zinc-air batteries.

April 4, 2026Open Access

Powering the Future : A Cobalt-Based Catalyst for Longer-Lasting Zinc–Air Batteries

Key Points

The study aims to develop a cost-effective cobalt-based catalyst to enhance the performance of zinc-air batteries.
Developed a novel N-doped graphitic shell-encapsulated cobalt catalyst for air electrodes.
Tested the catalyst's performance in terms of ORR and OER activity under alkaline conditions.
Assembled a quasi-solid-state zinc-air battery to evaluate the open-circuit voltage and power density.
Conducted Density Functional Theory calculations to analyze binding energies and catalytic mechanism.
Utilized in situ Raman spectroscopy to observe transient reaction intermediates.
The catalyst achieved an ORR half-wave potential of 0.81 V and an OER overpotential of 349 mV.
Demonstrated a peak power density of 127 mW cm−2, significantly higher than the benchmark Pt/C + RuO2 system.
Maintained a stable open-circuit voltage of 1.360 V for over 10,000 seconds.
When connected in series, two tandem-junction zinc-air batteries produced an open-circuit voltage of 2.75 V.

Abstract

The development of cost-effective catalysts for zinc–air batteries (ZABs) remain challenging due to the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) at the cathode. In this context, a novel N-doped graphitic shell-encapsulated cobalt catalyst is presented as an air electrode with exceptional bifunctional activity, achieving an ORR half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.81 V and an OER overpotential of 349 mV in an alkaline medium. The catalyst demonstrated excellent cycling durability and delivered superior power density in both liquid and solid-state ZABs. Furthermore, a quasi-solid-state ZAB is assembled with the catalyst, and it maintained a stable open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.360 V for >10 000 s. The catalyst achieved a peak power density of 127 mW cm−2—significantly outperforming the benchmark Pt/C + RuO2 system (74 mW cm−2). When two tandem-junction ZABs are connected in series, they achieved an OCV of 2.75 V and powering a “ZAB” LED strip and a mini fan. Furthermore, Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the enhanced performance resulted from optimized binding energies between the Co@N(py) active sites and reaction intermediates. An in situ Raman study is carried out to understand the catalytic mechanism through transient intermediate detection.

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Cite This Study

Banerjee et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69d0aee0659487ece0fa4bee https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15495/epub_ubt_00009068

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