One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures as Efficient Metal-Free Oxygen Electrocatalysts

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D-COFs) may serve as an emerging family of catalysts with well-defined atomic structures. However, the severe stacking of 2D nanosheets and large intrinsic bandgaps significantly impair their catalytic performance. Here, we report coaxial one-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures (1D vdWHs) comprised of a carbon nanotube (CNT) core and a thickness tunable thienothiophene-pyrene COF shell using a solution-based in situ wrapping method. Density functional theory calculations and operando and ex situ spectroscopic analysis indicate that carbon–sulfur regions in thienothiophene groups in the COF serve as an active catalytic site for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. The coaxial structure enables n-doping from the CNT core to the COF shell, which is controllable by varying COF shell thickness. The charge transfer from CNTs lowers COF's bandgap and work function, which reduces the charge transfer barrier between the active catalytic sites and adsorbed oxygen intermediates, resulting in dramatically enhanced catalytic activity. The 1D vdWHs were applied as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst in rechargeable zinc–air batteries, delivering a high specific capacity of 696 mAh gZn–1 under a high current density of 40 mA cm–2 and excellent cycling stability. The 1D vdWHs based on the coaxial structure of 2D COF wrapped around CNT cores may be further used as versatile building units to create multidimensional vdWHs for exploring fundamental physics and chemistry as well as practical applications in electrochemistry, electronics, photonics, and beyond.