Evaluation of the Volumetric Activity of the Air Electrode in a Zinc–Air Battery Using a Nitrogen and Sulfur Co-doped Metal-free Electrocatalyst

While numerous oxygen electrocatalysts have been reported to enhance zinc–air battery (ZAB) performance, highly efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen electrocatalysis need to be developed for broader commercialization of ZABs. Furthermore, areal (instead of volumetric) power density has been used to benchmark the performance of ZABs, often causing ambiguities or confusions. Here, we propose a methodology for evaluating the performance of a ZAB using the volumetric (rather than the areal) power density by taking into consideration the air electrode thickness. A nitrogen and sulfur co-doped metal-free oxygen reduction electrocatalyst (N-S-PC) is used as a model catalyst for this new metric. The electrocatalyst exhibited a half-wave potential of 0.88 V, which is similar to that of the Pt/C electrocatalyst (0.89 V) due to the effects of co-doping and a highly mesoporous structure. In addition, the use of volumetric activity allows fair comparison among different types of air electrodes. The N-S-PC-loaded air electrode demonstrated a higher peak power density (5 W cm–3) than the carbon felt or paper electrode in the ZAB test under the same testing conditions.