Dynamic electrocatalyst with current-driven oxyhydroxide shell for rechargeable zinc-air battery

Ya-Ping Deng, Yi Jiang, Ruilin Liang, Shao-Jian Zhang, Dan Luo, Yongfeng Hu, Xin Wang (), Jun-Tao Li, Aiping Yu and Zhongwei Chen ()
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Ya-Ping Deng: University of Waterloo
Yi Jiang: University of Waterloo
Ruilin Liang: University of Waterloo
Shao-Jian Zhang: Xiamen University
Dan Luo: University of Waterloo
Yongfeng Hu: University of Saskatchewan
Xin Wang: South China Normal University
Jun-Tao Li: Xiamen University
Aiping Yu: University of Waterloo
Zhongwei Chen: University of Waterloo

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Recent fruitful studies on rechargeable zinc-air battery have led to emergence of various bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts, especially metal-based materials. However, their electrocatalytic configuration and evolution pathway during battery operation are rarely spotlighted. Herein, to depict the underlying behaviors, a concept named dynamic electrocatalyst is proposed. By selecting a bimetal nitride as representation, a current-driven “shell-bulk” configuration is visualized via time-resolved X-ray and electron spectroscopy analyses. A dynamic picture sketching the generation and maturation of nanoscale oxyhydroxide shell is presented, and periodic valence swings of performance-dominant element are observed. Upon maturation, zinc-air battery experiences a near two-fold enlargement in power density to 234 mW cm−2, a gradual narrowing of voltage gap to 0.85 V at 30 mA cm−2, followed by stable cycling for hundreds of hours. The revealed configuration can serve as the basis to construct future blueprints for metal-based electrocatalysts, and push zinc-air battery toward practical application.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15853-1

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