Adjustable antiperovskite ZnCCe3−xNix/CNFs as an efficient bifunctional Zn-air batteries electrocatalyst

Abstract

The development of efficient, stable and low-cost dual-function electrocatalysts and applicated it to Zn-air batteries are very important for the development of renewable energy storage and conversion technologies. Antiperovskite catalysts have attracted much attention recently due to their advantages of adjustable structure and high element selectivity. In this work, a flexible and adjustable antiperovskite catalyst ZnCCe3−xNix (0 ≤ x ≤ 3) loaded on carbon fiber (ZnCCe3−xNix/CNFs) was prepared by electrospinning technology and used as an air cathode catalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries. By doping the X-site with highly conductive transition metal Ni, the electronic structure of the catalyst ZnCCe3−xNix/CNFs was optimized, and the catalytic activity of the antiperovskite bimetallic X-site was tuned to achieve an efficient and synergistic catalytic reaction. Among them, ZnCCe2.7Ni0.3/CNFs showed excellent OER/ORR bi-functional catalytic activity (ΔE = 0.82 V) and good stability. When ZnCCe2.7Ni0.3/CNFs is used as the cathode catalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries, it shows a power density of 117.99 mW cm−2, and the cycle stability can be maintained for up to 300 h, indicating its application potential in the field of Zn-air batteries.