Applied Chemical Engineering

Synthesis of carbon-based CoV electrocatalyst and its application in Zn-air battery devices

Zhuo Li

Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

Fangling Zhou

Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

Lei Wang

Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

Honggang Fu

Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/ace.v4i2.1351

Keywords: Nitrogen-doped Carbon, Transition Metal, Electrocatalyst, Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Zn-air Battery

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Abstract

Precious metal catalysts are generally considered to be the best electrocatalysts for slow four-electron transfer mechanism in oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. However, its large-scale commercialization is limited due to its high cost, scarce resources and lack of stability. Therefore, under the same catalytic performance conditions, low cost and environmentally friendly non-noble metal electrocatalyst will become the focus of future electrocatalyst engineering. Dicyandiamine was used for carbon resource to prepare CoV-based carbon nanotube composites (named CoV-NC) by means of group coordination combined with freeze drying strategy and carbonization treatment. The morphology and structure of the sample was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N₂ adsorption-desorption curve. In 0.1 M KOH electrolyte, the E_onset potential of CoV-NC catalyst for ORR is 0.931 V, and the limiting current density is higher. The OER voltage is only 1.63 V at the current density of 10 mA·cm^-2, demonstrating that CoV-NC exhibits good catalytic activity of ORR and OER. As for an air-cathode material to assemble primary Zn-air battery, it can discharge continuously for 166 h at a current density of 5 mA·cm^-2, which is much better than commercial Pt/C catalyst.

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