Volume 18, Issue 2 2105594
Research Article

Electronic Structure Regulation of Iron Phthalocyanine Induced by Anchoring on Heteroatom-Doping Carbon Sphere for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Al–Air Battery

Yingjian Luo

Yingjian Luo

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

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Yihan Chen

Yihan Chen

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

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Yali Xue

Yali Xue

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

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Jinwei Chen

Jinwei Chen

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

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Gang Wang

Gang Wang

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

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Ruilin Wang

Ruilin Wang

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

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Miao Yu

Corresponding Author

Miao Yu

School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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Jie Zhang

Corresponding Author

Jie Zhang

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065 China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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First published: 03 December 2021
Citations: 25

Abstract

Aluminum–air batteries (AABs) are deemed as a potential clean energy storage device. However, exploiting high-efficiency and stable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts in AABs is still a challenge. Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) shows a great prospect in ORR but still far from Pt-based catalysts. Here, the hybrid electrocatalysts of monolayer FePc and hollow N,S-doped carbon spheres (HNSCs) are innovatively constructed through π–π stacking to achieve high dispersion. The resulting FePc@HNSC catalyst exhibits an outstanding ORR activity, outperforming that of pristine FePc and even most Fe-based catalysts reported to date. Moreover, the AAB using FePc@HNSC catalyst not only demonstrates a superior power density than the battery with Pt/C, but also displays stable discharge voltages and excellent durability. Furthermore, the theoretical calculations confirm that the charge distribution and d-band center of the Fe atom in FePc are efficiently optimized by hybrid configuration via the introduction of N,S-doped carbon substrate. The design leads to an enriched electron density around Fe active sites and significant reduction of energy barrier for OH* formation, which are favorable for the improvement of electrocatalytic ORR performance. This work provides a chance to expand the application of metallic macrocyclic compound electrocatalysts in various energy technologies.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

Research data are not shared.

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