journal article·2026-07-16Open access

(Fe 4 N/GaN)@GC: A Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for High‐Performance Rechargeable Zinc‐Air Batteries

Xin‐Yuan Wei, Sai‐Sai Xie, Xia‐Li Ding, Yuan‐Qi Zhai, Sen Yu, Xiang‐Quan Hu, Rongqian Wu, Jintao Lu, Yan‐Zhen Zheng

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rechargeable zinc‐air batteries (ZABs), though offering a high theoretical energy density (1086 Wh kg −1 ) and intrinsic nonflammability, require efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). At present, state‐of‐the‐art electrocatalysts for ORR and OER are dominated by noble metals, yet a single catalyst cannot deliver excellent activity for both reactions simultaneously due to distinct reaction kinetics. Herein, we report that a graphitized‐carbon‐encapsulated Fe 4 N/GaN heterostructure formulated as (Fe 4 N/GaN)@GC‐0.75 (FeGa/C‐0.75) delivers high‐performance ORR (half‐wave potential of 0.857 V) and OER (overpotential of 314 mV at 10 mA cm −2 ) electrocatalytic activities. Such a superior performance originates from the unprecedented Fe 4 N/GaN heterostructure, in which the adsorption of oxygenated intermediates can be optimized through interfacial electronic coupling of both nitrides. Meanwhile, the graphitic carbon shell protects the heterointerface against corrosion and decay. Therefore, ZABs assembled with FeGa/C‐0.75 show a high peak power density of 221 mW cm −2 with a specific capacity of 726.15 mAh g Zn −1 and maintain stable cycling for over 850 h at 30 mA cm −2 . Moreover, a flexible all‐solid‐state ZAB enabled by FeGa/C‐0.75 can be fabricated with robust performance upon bending. These performances shed light on the broader application of this catalyst for various rechargeable ZABs and flexible devices.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Advanced battery technologies research · Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier Science and Technology State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Materials Chemistry Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an P. R. China

School of Future Technology Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an P. R. China

Shaanxi Science and Technology Holding Institute Xi'an P. R. China

Shaanxi Science and Technology Holdings Group Xi'an P. R. China

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Institute of Advanced Surgical Technology and Engineering The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an P. R. China

Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education and International Center for Dielectric Research School of Electronic Science and Engineering Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment

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