Advanced Zinc–Air Batteries with Free-Standing Hierarchical Nanostructures of the Air Cathode for Portable Applications

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c22371
• Publication Date: 2021-12-20T07:48:48Z
• Authors: Xiaoying Zheng; Naser Mohammadi; Alonso Moreno Zuria; Mohamed Mohamedi
• Keywords: Current collector; Nanorod; Carbon fibers

It is today advanced that the development of a free-standing (binderless) air cathode via direct growth nonprecious metal electrocatalysts onto surface conductive collector would be cutting-edge strategy to reduce interfacial resistance, improve mechanical stability, and final weight cost manufacturing. Here, for Zn-air batteries (ZABs), we propose an innovative binderless noble-metal-free hierarchical nanostructured bifunctional in which high-density MnOx nanorods (NRs) are directly grown on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) themselves synthesized microfibrous paper (CP) substrate. All carbon/MnOx cathodes achieved specific capacities very close theoretical value 820 mAh gZn-1. A stable voltage gap between charge discharge processes along hundred cycles was obtained, demonstrating stability good electrocatalytic activities these toward oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction real ZAB device. As proof-of-concept handheld electronic applications, assembled with CP/MnOx NRs as electrode Zn plate anode operated timer 14 days successfully, whereas two ZAB-based CNTs/MnOx connected series powered 2 V light-emitting diode (LED) bulb 3 multimeter. The proposed results may pave way rational design ZABs, other metal-air batteries, fuel cells.