Synergizing Energy Storage: Copper Cobalt Oxide Integrated Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Spheres for Advanced Zinc–Air Batteries

Zinc–air batteries, with their high energy density, offer an environmentally friendly energy solution. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions at the air cathode limits their practical application. Therefore, designing a long-lasting and efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst for the air cathode of zinc–air batteries is highly crucial. This study introduces a low-cost bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst synthesized by integrating a copper cobalt oxide over a nitrogen-doped hollow carbon sphere through a single-step silica template method. The catalyst exhibited a superior bifunctional performance that rivals the benchmark RuO 2 and Pt/C 20% catalysts. When integrated into the air cathode of the zinc–air battery, the catalyst exhibits remarkable performance by achieving a high peak power density of 176 mW cm –2 and a specific capacity of 781 mAh g –1, nearing the theoretical capacity. Furthermore, the catalyst has exhibited superior durability during prolonged charge–discharge cycles with minimal degradation over 200 h. These studies validate the copper–cobalt oxide integrated nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres as a promising air cathode material for high-performance zinc–air batteries.