title: NiO/CoN Porous Nanowires as Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts for Zn-Air Batteries.
abstract: The development of highly efficient bifunctional catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for improving the efficiency of the Zn-air battery. Herein, we report porous NiO/CoN interface nanowire arrays (PINWs) with both oxygen vacancies and a strongly interconnected nanointerface between NiO and CoN domains for promoting the electrocatalytic performance and stability for OER and ORR. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, electron spin resonance, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigations demonstrate that the decrease of the coordination number for cobalt, the enhanced oxygen vacancies on the NiO/CoN nanointerface, and strongly coupled nanointerface between NiO and CoN domains are responsible for the good bifunctional electrocatalytic performance of NiO/CoN PINWs. The primary Zn-air batteries, using NiO/CoN PINWs as an air-cathode, display an open-circuit potential of 1.46 V, a high power density of 79.6 mW cm-2, and an energy density of 945 Wh kg-1. The three-series solid batteries fabricated by NiO/CoN PINWs can support a timer to work for more than 12 h. This work demonstrates the importance of interface coupling and oxygen vacancies in the development of high-performance Zn-air batteries.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yuxuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources, Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qiaohui
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yong-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qiaolan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fangyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Chemistry and Resources Utilization of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Pinxian
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5064-5622
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Shaojun
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4427-6837
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
keywords: NiO/CoN porous nanowires; Zn−air battery; nanointerface; oxygen evolution; oxygen vacancies