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CuCo Bimetallic Oxide Quantum Dot Decorated Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes: A High‐Efficiency Bifunctional Oxygen Electrode for Zn–Air Batteries
Author(s) -
Cheng Hui,
Li MeiLing,
Su ChangYuan,
Li Nan,
Liu ZhaoQing
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201701833
Subject(s) - materials science , bifunctional , bimetallic strip , carbon nanotube , catalysis , oxide , electrolyte , electrochemistry , electrode , oxygen evolution , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , clark electrode , carbon fibers , noble metal , electrocatalyst , inorganic chemistry , metal , composite number , composite material , metallurgy , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
The large‐scale production of metal–air batteries, an appealing solution for next‐generation energy storage, requires low‐cost, earth‐abundant, and efficient oxygen electrode materials, yet insights into active catalyst structures and synergistic reactivity remain largely unknown. Here, a new bifunctional oxygen electrode based on nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotubes decorated by spinel CuCo 2 O 4 quantum dots (CuCo 2 O 4 /N‐CNTs) is reported, outperforming the benchmark of state‐of‐the‐art noble metal catalysts. Combining spectroscopic characterization and electrochemical studies, a prominent synergetic effect between CuCo 2 O 4 and N‐doped carbon nanotubes is uncovered: the high conductivity, large active surface area, and increase in the number of catalytic sites induced by Cu doping (i.e., Cu 2+ and CuN) can be beneficial to the overall electrocatalytic activities. Remarkably, the native flexibility of CuCo 2 O 4 /N‐CNTs allows its direct use as reversible oxygen electrodes in Zn–air batteries either with liquid alkaline electrolyte or in the all‐solid‐state configuration. The prepared devices demonstrate excellent discharging/charging performance, large energy density (83.83 mW cm −2 in liquid state, 1.86 W g −1 in all‐solid‐state), and long lifetime (48 h in liquid state, 9 h in all‐solid‐state), holding great promise in the practical application of rechargeable metal–air batteries and other fuel cells.