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Bamboo fiber–derived bifunctional electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries

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Abstract

Low-cost and high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are vital for the applications of rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, a porous carbon material is fabricated by traditional pulp and papermaking and carbonization process from bamboo. The resultant carbon paper catalyst possesses a high surface area, porous structure, and high content of nitrogen. Benefiting from these characteristics, this material exhibits remarkable ORR and OER catalytic performances. The aqueous rechargeable Zn-air batteries assembled with this catalyst exhibit a high power density of 279.5 mW cm−2. This work paves an encouraging way for the industrial production of cost-effective catalysts in a sustainable manner.

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Bamboo-derived N-doped porous carbon material with enhanced electrocatalytic for promoting electrochemical energy storage

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. The database used and/or analyses during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering. We acknowledge the financial support from National Program for Support of Topnotch Young Professionals, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China

    Jian Yu, Zehong Chen, Linxin Zhong, Wu Yang, Tingzhen Li, Yongfa Huang & Xinwen Peng

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  1. Jian Yu
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  2. Zehong Chen
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  3. Linxin Zhong
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  4. Wu Yang
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  5. Tingzhen Li
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Contributions

All the authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Jian Yu. Zehong Chen, Tingzhen Li, and Yongfa Huang were responsible for directing the experiment process. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Jian Yu. Zehong Chen was responsible for the first revision of the manuscript. Linxin Zhong, Wu Yang and Xinwen Peng were responsible for the final revision of the manuscript. All the authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xinwen Peng.

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Yu, J., Chen, Z., Zhong, L. et al. Bamboo fiber–derived bifunctional electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn-air batteries. Ionics 29, 3193–3202 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-023-05009-8

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