Aqueous Zn-ORR/CER Battery in Tandem Electrolyte Utilizing Dual-Function Ag Catalyst

Amidst ever-growing energy demands, the development of efficient energy storage devices for carrying out a sustainable electrocatalytic reaction along with energy storage has proven to be viable. In this work, we report a Zn-ORR/CER battery in a tandem electrolyte for the first time, wherein a cost-effective silver (Ag) catalyst was used as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. It exhibits exceptional stability performance in mimicked industrial conditions, even under multiple shutdowns in chlorine-rich electrolytes. Moreover, the local electrocatalytic activity for ORR and the stability of the catalyst in a chlorine-rich electrolyte were probed through scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Interestingly, when employed as a cathode for the Zn-ORR/CER battery (which runs on the electrocatalytic ORR and CER), it displays an open circuit voltage of 1.6 V with outstanding long-term stability for 380 cycles @ 10 mA cm–2. The proposed Zn-ORR/CER battery exhibits a power density of 4.84 mW cm–2 with efficient chlorine production (75%) during charging.