Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Ni3Fe oxide nanoparticles (3.5 ± 1.5 nm) were successfully anchored onto polyaniline (PANI) support via a solvothermal strategy followed by calcination, creating a robust hetero-interface. • The catalyst–support interaction between Ni3Fe oxide and PANI enhances Ni–O covalency through interfacial Ni–N bonds, significantly boosting charge and mass transfer during oxygen evolution reaction (OER). • The Ni3Fe oxide/PANI catalyst exhibits outstanding OER performance with a low overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a specific activity 3.84 times higher than unsupported Ni3Fe oxide. • Rechargeable Zn-air batteries assembled with Ni3Fe oxide/PANI achieve superior cycling stability, maintaining operation for over 400 hours at 10 mA cm−2 with a low charge potential of ~1.95 V.
Abstract
Catalyst–support interaction plays a crucial role in improving the catalytic activity of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here we modulate the catalyst–support interaction in polyaniline-supported Ni3Fe oxide (Ni3Fe oxide/PANI) with a robust hetero-interface, which significantly improves oxygen evolution activities with an overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and specific activity of 2.08 mA cmECSA−2 at overpotential of 300 mV, 3.84-fold that of Ni3Fe oxide. It is revealed that the catalyst–support interaction between Ni3Fe oxide and PANI support enhances the Ni–O covalency via the interfacial Ni–N bond, thus promoting the charge and mass transfer on Ni3Fe oxide. Considering the excellent activity and stability, rechargeable Zn-air batteries with optimum Ni3Fe oxide/PANI are assembled, delivering a low charge voltage of 1.95 V to cycle for 400 h at 10 mA cm−2. The regulation of the effect of catalyst–support interaction on catalytic activity provides new possibilities for the future design of highly efficient OER catalysts.
1. Introduction
Rechargeable Zn-air batteries have attracted much attention as the next-generation energy systems considering their high theoretical energy density of 1086 Wh kg−1, environmental friendliness, low cost, and high safety [1–3]. Unfortunately, rechargeable Zn-air batteries suffer from sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in air cathode, thus inducing high charge overpotential and poor charge rate [4–6]. Although noble metal Ru or Ir-based catalysts exhibit acceptable OER activity, the poor stability and high cost of noble metals have hindered their practical application in Zn-air batteries [7, 8]. Therefore, there is an urgent need to search for highly efficient OER catalysts with low cost, high catalytic activity, and excellent electrochemical stability.
To date, great efforts have been devoted to pursuing transition metal compounds, including metal oxides [9, 10], layered double hydroxides [11], nitrides [12], sulfides [13], etc., as OER electrocatalysts in lowering the charge potential for Zn-air batteries. Nitrides and sulfides would undergo severe electrochemical reconstruction, causing a serious crystal structure change, thus greatly affecting their stability and activity [14]. Differently, metal oxides exhibit better crystal structure stability during OER process, adjustable crystal structure, and ease of synthesis, which makes them promising OER catalyst candidates in practical devices [15, 16]. Especially, the spinel oxides with the formula of AB2O4 (A, B = transition metal) attached with rich redox couples (A3+/A2+ and B3+/B2+) have achieved considerable attention owing to adjustable composition and geometrical configuration [17–20]. Among them, NiFe-based spinel oxides are considered as a desirable OER catalyst benefiting from the advantage of high OER activity and low cost of Ni and Fe elements [21]. However, the low conductivity and easy aggregation of NiFe oxides affect electron conduction and mass transfer rate [22]. The preferable strategy currently reported is to introduce porous conductive supports to anchor NiFe oxides, which could improve the dispersion of catalyst nanoparticles to enhance the density of catalytic active sites and inhibit the electrochemical aggregation of catalyst nanoparticles during the OER process [23, 24]. Searching for suitable support and understanding the catalyst–support interaction are crucial for further development.
Loading authentic research manuscript (Pages 1–5)...
Xiaohong Zou, Qian Lu, Mingcong Tang, Jie Wu, Kouer Zhang, Wenzhi Li, Yunxia Hu, Xiaomin Xu, Xiao Zhang, Zongping Shao, Liang An (2024). Catalyst–Support Interaction in Polyaniline-Supported Ni3Fe Oxide to Boost Oxygen Evolution Activities for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01511-4
Research & Educational Purpose Only:The translations, structured abstracts, analytical annotations, and data reports provided by SinoTechIntel are intended exclusively for academic research, internal corporate R&D, and educational benchmarking. They do not constitute formal engineering, chemical safety, legal, or professional advice.
Copyright & Intellectual Property Notice: Original copyright of the underlying source articles and experimental data remains with the respective authors, institutions, and original publishing journals. SinoTechIntel claims intellectual property only over its proprietary translations, analytical syntheses, and AEO structured enhancements in accordance with international fair use and academic citation principles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main innovation of this study?
The study demonstrates that modulating the catalyst–support interaction between Ni3Fe oxide and polyaniline (PANI) support via interfacial Ni–N bonds significantly enhances the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity, achieving a low overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and superior stability in rechargeable Zn-air batteries.
How does the catalyst–support interaction improve OER performance?
The interaction enhances Ni–O covalency through the interfacial Ni–N bond, which promotes charge and mass transfer on the Ni3Fe oxide surface, thereby improving the intrinsic catalytic activity for OER.
What are the key performance metrics of the Ni3Fe oxide/PANI catalyst?
The catalyst exhibits an overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a specific activity of 2.08 mA cmECSA−2 at 300 mV overpotential (3.84 times higher than unsupported Ni3Fe oxide), and enables Zn-air batteries to cycle for over 400 hours at 10 mA cm−2 with a low charge potential of ~1.95 V.
Why is polyaniline chosen as the support material?
Polyaniline is a conductive polymer that provides a porous, high-surface-area support, which improves the dispersion of Ni3Fe oxide nanoparticles, increases the density of active sites, and facilitates electron and mass transfer during the OER process.
What are the practical implications of this research?
The findings offer a new strategy for designing highly efficient and cost-effective OER catalysts by engineering catalyst–support interactions, which could accelerate the commercialization of rechargeable Zn-air batteries and other clean energy technologies.
Related Technical Papers & Translations
Direct Repair of the Crystal Structure and Coating Surface of Spent LiFePO4 Materials Enables Superfast Li-Ion Migration
The rapid accumulation of spent LiFePO4 (LFP) cathodes from retired lithium-ion batteries necessitates the development of effective and environmental-friendly recycling strategies. In this context, direct regeneration has emerged as a promising approach for reclaiming LFP cathode materials, offering a streamlined pathway to restore their electrochemical functionality. We report an integrated regeneration protocol that simultaneously repairs the degraded crystal structure and reconstructs the damaged carbon coating in spent LFP. The regenerated cathode material had superfast lithium-ion diffusion kinetics and a stable cathode–electrolyte interface, giving a remarkable rate capability with specific capacities of 122 mAh g−1 at 5C and 106 mAh g−1 at 10C (1C = 170 mA g−1). It also maintained capacities of 110.7 mAh g−1 (5C) and 84.1 mAh g−1 (10C) after 400 cycles. It could be used in harsh environments and could be stably cycled at subzero temperatures (−10 and −20 °C) and in solid-state electrolyte batteries. Life cycle assessment combined with economic evaluation using the EverBatt model reveals that this direct regeneration approach has high economic and environmental benefits.
Oxide Semiconductor for Advanced Memory Architectures: Atomic Layer Deposition, Key Requirement and Challenges
Oxide semiconductors (OSs), introduced by the Hosono group in the early 2000s, have evolved from display backplane materials to promising candidates for advanced memory and logic devices. The exceptionally low leakage current of OSs and compatibility with three-dimensional (3D) architectures have recently sparked renewed interest in their use in semiconductor applications. This review begins by exploring the unique material properties of OSs, which fundamentally originate from their distinct electronic band structure. Subsequently, we focus on atomic layer deposition (ALD), a core technique for growing excellent OS films, covering both basic and advanced processes compatible with 3D scaling. The basic surface reaction mechanisms—adsorption and reaction—and their roles in film growth are introduced. Furthermore, material design strategies, such as cation selection, crystallinity control, anion doping, and heterostructure engineering, are discussed. We also highlight challenges in memory applications, including contact resistance, hydrogen instability, and lack of p-type materials, and discuss the feasibility of ALD-grown OSs as potential solutions. Lastly, we provide an outlook on the role of ALD-grown OSs in memory technologies. This review bridges material fundamentals and device-level requirements, offering a comprehensive perspective on the potential of ALD-driven OSs for next-generation semiconductor memory devices.
Laser powder bed fusion of biodegradable Zn-4Cu alloy: Processing, microstructure and properties
Zn's natural degradability and biocompatibility make it a promising candidate for implants, however, its mechanical properties remain insufficient for bone applications. In this study, the performance of Zn was enhanced by developing Zn-Cu alloys via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Optimal LPBF parameters for forming stable tracks were achieved by adjusting laser power and scanning speed. Under optimized conditions of 100 W and 100 mm/s, high-density (99.58%) Zn-Cu alloys with improved hardness (68.2HV) and yield strength (160 MPa) were achieved. These improvements are attributed to solid solution strengthening, segregation strengthening, and grain refinement. The Zn-Cu alloys also demonstrated favorable degradation behavior, with a rate of 0.16 mm/year. This degradation is primarily driven by micro-galvanic corrosion between the CuZn5 phase and Zn matrix, along with refined grains and increased grain boundary density. This work demonstrates a viable strategy for fabricating Zn-based implants with enhanced structural integrity and mechanical performance via LPBF.