Synthesis of High Entropy Carbon Nanofibers and Study of Their Bifunctional Oxygen Performance

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs) represent a viable energy solution; however, the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) severely hinder their commercial application, leading to a surge in research focused on the preparation of related catalysts. High-entropy materials possess unique physicochemical properties, while carbon nanofiber materials are ideal catalyst carriers. In this study, high-entropy carbon nanofiber materials HCNF/HEA were successfully prepared through electrospinning technology and high-temperature heat treatment. Zinc was used to create defects, and Mn, Fe, Co, La, and Gd were employed as stable structural elements. The lattice distortion effect of high-entropy materials generates local strain fields, forming abundant active sites; the “cocktail effect” optimizes the electronic structure through the synergistic effect between elements. Carbon nanofiber materials, due to their high specific surface area, good conductivity, and tunable porous structure, are ideal catalyst carriers. Electrochemical performance evaluations indicate that HCNF/HEA exhibits excellent bifunctional oxygen catalysis activity (with an overpotential of 1.65 V and a positive half-wave potential of 0.795 V). Additionally, the assembled zinc-air battery demonstrates outstanding device performance, including a high power density of 120.01 mW∙cm−2, a specific capacity of 797.68 mAh∙g−1Zn, and excellent stability over 240 hours, surpassing the commercial benchmark Pt/C-based zinc-air batteries.