FeCo‐N encapsuled in nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotubes as bifunctional electrocatalysts with a high stability for zinc air batteries

Abstract For zinc air batteries, a non‐noble metal‐based electrocatalyst with a high performance and stability in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is imperative in application. Herein, a catalyst based on FeCo‐N encapsuled in nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotubes has been prepared, which provides an implementable method to design controlled structures with excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic activities. By adjusting the molar ratio of two metals, the synthesized FeCo‐N‐C catalyst delivers a competitive ORR and OER performance compared with commercial Pt/C and IrO 2 , performing a low overvoltage gap between ORR ( E 1/2 ) and OER ( E j =10 ) of 0.8 V. Moreover, as a promising cathode in zinc air battery, the FeCo‐N‐C catalyst possesses an affirmative stability of over 100 h and large power density (129 mW·cm −2 ). This work demonstrates that FeCo‐N‐C is one of the most promising catalysts for zinc air batteries and provides a possibility for exploration of batteries with high stability by adjusting the molar ratio of metals in the catalysts.