title: Highly Active and Durable Nanocrystal-Decorated Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries.
abstract: A highly active and durable bifunctional electrocatalyst that consists of cobalt oxide nanocrystals (Co3 O4 NC) decorated on the surface of N-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNT) is introduced as effective electrode material for electrically rechargeable zinc-air batteries. This active hybrid catalyst is synthesized by a facile surfactant-assisted method to produce Co3 O4 NC that are then decorated on the surface of N-CNT through hydrophobic attraction. Confirmed by half-cell testing, Co3 O4 NC/N-CNT demonstrates superior oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution catalytic activities and has a superior electrochemical stability compared to Pt/C and Ir/C. Furthermore, rechargeable zinc-air battery testing of Co3 O4 NC/N-CNT reveals superior galvanodynamic charge and discharge voltages with a significantly extended cycle life of over 100 h, which suggests its potential as a replacement for precious-metal-based catalysts for electric vehicles and grid energy storage applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Applied Nanomaterials&Clean Energy Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada).
authors.forename: Dong Un
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Applied Nanomaterials&Clean Energy Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada).
authors.forename: Moon Gyu
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Applied Nanomaterials&Clean Energy Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada).
authors.forename: Hey Woong
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Applied Nanomaterials&Clean Energy Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada).
authors.forename: Min Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Applied Nanomaterials&Clean Energy Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada).
authors.forename: Xiaolei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Applied Nanomaterials&Clean Energy Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada). zhwchen@uwaterloo.ca.
authors.forename: Zhongwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: carbon; cobalt; electrochemistry; oxygen; supported catalysts