Fe₂P/ZnS Heterostructures Supported on N‐Doped Porous Carbon as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts for High‐Performance Zinc–Air Batteries

The development of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts with high catalytic activity, high stability, and low cost is of great significance for the development of rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Designing heterostructures within the catalyst can regulate the charge distribution to enhance the electron transfer rate during the catalytic process, and optimize the adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates, resulting in high-performance ORR catalysts. In this study, Fe₂P/ZnS heterostructures supported on N-doped porous carbon (Fe₂P/ZnS@NC) are designed and fabricated through one-step synthesis via high-temperature pyrolysis. N-doped carbon can significantly enhance the conductivity of carbon. The Fe₂P/ZnS heterostructures optimize the electronic structure of the catalyst, thereby optimizing the adsorption of key intermediate *O at the Fe site and enhancing the ORR catalytic performance of Fe₂P/ZnS@NC, with a half-wave potential of 0.885 V. The Fe₂P/ZnS@NC-based ZABs show a maximum power density of 148.5 mW cm^-2, an energy density of 818.2 mA h g^-1, and excellent cycling stability (≈800 h), surpassing 40 wt.% Pt/C-based ZABs. The above results show that the Fe₂P/ZnS heterostructures play a key role in improving ORR catalytic performance for ZABs.