CoWO₄/WO₃ Anchored on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Substrate: A Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for High-Efficient Zinc–Air Batteries

Zinc–air batteries have garnered significant attention due to high energy density and eco-friendly characteristics, though the slow kinetics of both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions remain a critical challenge. To address this challenge, we designed and synthesized CoWO4/WO3 anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon substrates as a bifunctional electrocatalyst with high efficiency for zinc–air batteries. The incorporation of cobalt into WO3 nanoparticles facilitated the formation of the bimetallic oxide CoWO4, which can expose more electrocatalytic active sites. The introduction of CoWO4 markedly enhanced both charge transfer efficiency and oxygen species adsorption capacity. Under alkaline conditions, CoWO4/WO3@N–C exhibits a significant improvement in the conversion kinetics of oxygen species. The zinc–air batteries with CoWO4/WO3@N–C achieved a peak power density of 110 mW·cm–2 while maintaining robust cycling stability. These studies provide new ideas for designing efficient bimetallic oxide catalysts and promote wider applications of zinc–air batteries.