Graphitic-shell encapsulated FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals on biomass-derived N-doped carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Abstract

Oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OERs) catalysts play a key role in the metal-air battery and water-splitting process. Herein, we developed a facile template-free method to fabricate a new type of non–noble metal-based hybrid catalyst which consists of binary FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals with graphitic-shell and biomass-derived N-doped carbon (NC) (FexNiyN@C/NC). This novel nanostructure exhibits superior performance for ORR/OER, which can be attributed to the strong interactions between the graphitic-shell encapsulated FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals and the N-doped porous carbon substrate. The X-ray absorption spectroscopy technique was employed to reveal the underlying mechanisms for the excellent performance. The assembled Zn-air battery device exhibits outstanding charging/discharging performance and cycling stability, indicating the great potential of this type of novel catalysts.