Facilitating charge transfer via a Semi-Coherent Fe(PO3)2-Co2P2O7 heterointerface for highly efficient Zn-Air batteries

An N-doped carbon hollow nanorod confined with a semi-coherent Fe(PO3)2-Co2P2O7 heterojunction was developed for reversible oxygen catalysis. [Display omitted] •N-doped carbon nanorod housing a semi-coherent Fe(PO3)2-Co2P2O7 heterojunction.•Efficient charge transfer via semi-coherent Fe(PO3)2-Co2P2O7 interface.•This nanohybrid exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance. Developing reversible oxygen electrodes for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for achieving high-performance rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs). This study introduced an nitrogen-doped carbon confined with a semi-coherent Fe(PO3)2-Co2P2O7 heterojunction for bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis. This nanocomposite yielded an ORR half-wave potential of 0.908 V and an OER overpotential of 291 mV at 10 mA/cm2. ZABs incorporating this catalyst yielded impressive performance, including a peak power density of 203 mW/cm2, a specific capacity of 737 mAh/gZn, and promoted stability. Both experimental and theoretical simulations demonstrated that the unique electric field between Fe(PO3)2 and Co2P2O7 promoted efficient charge transport across the heterointerface. This interaction likely modulated the d-band center of the heterojunction, expedite the desorption of oxygen intermediates, thus improving oxygen catalysis and, consequently, ZAB performance. This work illustrates a significant design principle for creating efficient bifunctional catalysts in energy conversion technologies.