Spatially decoupled single/dual-atomic sites with independent bifunctional activity for high-performance fiber zinc-air batteries

IF 7.4 2区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Science China Materials Pub Date : 2026-01-23 DOI:10.1007/s40843-025-3805-1

Jing Zhou (, ), Yumin Chen (, ), Wei Mao (, ), Long Jiang (, ), Huangjian Chen (, ), Yunzhan Ying (, ), Yulong Wan (, ), Shifan Zheng (, ), Ju Lin (, ), Shikun Liang (, ), Yuyuan Yao (, ), Bingjie Wang (, ), Ye Zhang (, ), Lihua Gan (, ), Huisheng Peng (, ), Lie Wang (, )

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The development of high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts is crucial for advancing zinc-air batteries. However, the fundamentally distinct mechanisms of the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR/OER) hinder the simultaneous realization of high activity within a single catalyst. Herein, we propose a spatial decoupling strategy to overcome this limitation by engineering isolated Fe single-atoms and Fe–Ir dual-atom pairs on a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (Fe/FeIr-NC). In this architecture, Fe single atoms serve as ORR centers, while Fe–Ir pairs with tunable spacing are tailored for OER, enabling complete functional separation and independent optimization of the reactions. As a result, the catalyst delivers an ORR half-wave potential of 0.91 V and an OER overpotential of 250 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², yielding a record-low bifunctional gap (ΔE = 0.57 V) that outperforms all reported single- and dual-atom catalysts. A flexible fiber zinc-air battery was developed based on this catalyst, delivering a peak power density of 3920 W kg⁻¹, along with a 1.4-fold increase in energy efficiency and a 2.6-fold extension in cycle life compared to the commercial Pt/C + IrO₂ benchmark. This work not only breaks the traditional activity trade-off in bi-functional catalysis but also offers a promising route toward high-performance power sources for wearable electronics.

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具有独立双功能活性的空间解耦单/双原子位置用于高性能纤维锌空气电池

高性能双功能电催化剂的开发对锌空气电池的发展至关重要。然而，氧还原和进化反应（ORR/OER）的基本不同机制阻碍了在单一催化剂内同时实现高活性。本文提出了一种空间解耦策略，通过在氮掺杂碳基体（Fe/FeIr-NC）上设计分离的Fe单原子和Fe - ir双原子对来克服这一限制。在该结构中，Fe单原子作为ORR中心，而具有可调间距的Fe - ir对则为OER量身定制，从而实现了完全的功能分离和反应的独立优化。结果表明，该催化剂在10 mA cm - 2下的ORR半波电位为0.91 V， OER过电位为250 mV，产生了创纪录的低双功能间隙（ΔE = 0.57 V），优于所有已报道的单原子和双原子催化剂。基于该催化剂开发了一种柔性纤维锌空气电池，其峰值功率密度为3920 W kg−1，与商用Pt/C + IrO2基准相比，能效提高1.4倍，循环寿命延长2.6倍。这项工作不仅打破了双功能催化中传统的活动权衡，而且为可穿戴电子产品的高性能电源提供了一条有前途的途径。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Science China Materials Materials Science-General Materials Science

CiteScore

11.40

自引率

7.40%

发文量

949

期刊介绍： Science China Materials (SCM) is a globally peer-reviewed journal that covers all facets of materials science. It is supervised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The journal is jointly published monthly in both printed and electronic forms by Science China Press and Springer. The aim of SCM is to encourage communication of high-quality, innovative research results at the cutting-edge interface of materials science with chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. It focuses on breakthroughs from around the world and aims to become a world-leading academic journal for materials science.