title: Nitrogen-Doped Co3O4Mesoporous Nanowire Arrays as an Additive-Free Air-Cathode for Flexible Solid-State Zinc-Air Batteries.
abstract: The kinetically sluggish rate of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the cathode side is one of the main bottlenecks of zinc-air batteries (ZABs), and thus the search for an efficient and cost-effective catalyst for ORR is highly pursued. Co3O4has received ever-growing interest as a promising ORR catalyst due to the unique advantages of low-cost, earth abundance and decent catalytic activity. However, owing to the poor conductivity as a result of its semiconducting nature, the ORR activity of the Co3O4catalyst is still far below the expectation. Herein, we report a controllable N-doping strategy to significantly improve the catalytic activity of Co3O4for ORR and demonstrate these N doped Co3O4nanowires as an additive-free air-cathode for flexible solid-state zinc-air batteries. The results of experiments and DFT calculations reveal that the catalytic activity is promoted by the N dopant through a combined set of factors, including enhanced electronic conductivity, increased O2adsorption strength and improved reaction kinetics. Finally, the assembly of all-solid-state ZABs based on the optimized cathode exhibit a high volumetric capacity of 98.1 mAh cm-3and outstanding flexibility. The demonstration of such flexible ZABs provides valuable insights that point the way to the redesign of emerging portable electronics.
authors.affiliation: MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Minghao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Zhengke
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Zilong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Instrumental Analysis and Research Centre, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Chaolun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Cunyuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Yexiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Road, Chemical North Building 325, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Xihong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Shihe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: Co3O4; additive-free; flexible zinc-air battery; nitrogen doping; oxygen reduction reaction