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Vol. 17 (2025)

Catalyst–Support Interaction in Polyaniline-Supported Ni3Fe Oxide to Boost Oxygen Evolution Activities for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01511-4
Xiaohong Zou
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Qian Lu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, People’s Republic of China
Mingcong Tang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Jie Wu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Kouer Zhang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Wenzhi Li
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Yunxia Hu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Xiaomin Xu
WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering (WASM‑MECE), Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
Xiao Zhang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Zongping Shao
WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering (WASM‑MECE), Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
Liang An
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Liang An

liang.an@polyu.edu.hk

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 17 (2025), Article Number: 6

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.


Highlights:
1 Ni3Fe oxide, with an average size of 3.5 ± 1.5 nm, was successfully deposited onto polyaniline (PANI) support through a solvothermal strategy followed by calcination.
2 The catalyst–support interaction between Ni3Fe oxide and PANI can enhance the Ni-O covalency via the interfacial Ni-N bond.
3 Ni3Fe oxide/PANI-assembled Zn-air batteries achieve superior cycling life for over 400 h at 10 mA cm−2 and a low charge potential of around 1.95 V.

Keywords

Catalyst–support interaction Supported catalysts Heterointerface Oxygen evolution reaction Zn-air batteries
Zou, Xiaohong, Qian Lu, Mingcong Tang, Jie Wu, Kouer Zhang, Wenzhi Li, Yunxia Hu, Xiaomin Xu, Xiao Zhang, Zongping Shao, and Liang An. 2024. “Catalyst–Support Interaction in Polyaniline-Supported Ni3Fe Oxide to Boost Oxygen Evolution Activities for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries”. Nano-Micro Letters 17 (September):6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01511-4.
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