Insight into the Hybrid Zn–Co/Air Batteries Coupling Faradic Redox and Oxygen Catalytic Reactions

Hybrid Zn–Co/air batteries achieve both high energy density and high energy efficiency by coupling the oxygen catalytic reaction of Zn–air batteries and the Faradic redox reaction of Zn–Co batteries. However, challenges exist in practical applications, including low utilization rate of active material, insufficient oxygen catalytic activity, and unmatched reaction interfaces. These limitations hinder the performance of hybrid Zn–Co/air batteries and restrict their ability in broader application scenarios. This work reviews the recent development of hybrid Zn–Co/air batteries and focuses on their core issues. In terms of active material structure design, advancements are made in microstructure optimization, defect engineering, ion doping, and electrochemical activation. In the area of catalytic activity optimization, improvements are achieved through the optimization of support materials, structural engineering, and defect engineering. In the field of interface optimization, progress has been made in hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity design, gas transfer channel optimization, and electrode structure design. Finally, this work summarizes the future research directions and technical challenges to promote the commercialization of hybrid Zn–Co/air batteries. The in‐depth analysis aims to provide valuable guidance to researchers to develop the next‐generation high‐performance hybrid Zn–Co/air batteries.