N-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Supported Dual-Metal Atom M N-C Desert Rose Structure as An Effective Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Zinc-Air Battery /

Abstract

Zinc-air batteries emerge as a highly promising option for renewable energy storage within grid systems and electric vehicles amidst global warming and energy scarcity. However, challenges such as sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction & oxygen reduction reaction have hindered their large-scale commercialization. This study addresses these challenges by developing a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst utilizing cobalt-manganese nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (Co-Mn/N-MC) using a template casting method. Bimetallic catalysts offer improved catalytic activity by leveraging the complementary properties of both cobalt and manganese within a nitrogen-doped carbon framework. The Co-Mn/N-MC catalyst demonstrated impressive results for both key reactions. For ORR, it achieved a half-wave potential (E₁/₂) of 0.85 V, reflecting high activity. Regarding the OER it showed an over potential of 360mV at 10mA/cm2 and a Tafel slope of 55 mV/dec, indicating efficient reaction kinetics. This research demonstrates a scalable and cost-effective catalyst with performance comparable to traditional catalyst based on precious metal such as iridium and platinum by using abundant, low-cost materials, the proposed catalyst addresses key economic and technical barriers to the commercialization of MABs. With enhanced bifunctional performance, this study contributes to the broader implementation of metal air batteries in grid scale energy storage, electric vehicle and other renewable energy systems.