Low-Platinum FePt Nanoalloys with Nanoconfinement Effects for Durable Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Metal–air batteries offer higher theoretical energy densities and simpler system architectures compared with conventional fuel cells and other rechargeable batteries, making them highly attractive for next-generation energy storage applications. However, platinum dependency and sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics impede zinc–air fuel cell commercialization. Herein, we develop low-platinum FePt alloys anchored on tannic acid-etched ZIF-8-derived hollow mesoporous carbon nanoframeworks (FePt-HCNFs), leveraging nanoconfinement effects to prevent nanoparticle aggregation during synthesis. The FePt-HCNF catalyst achieves a 0.91 V half-wave potential (20 mV above Pt/C) and a 1.13 A mgPt –1 mass activity in acidic media while delivering a peak power density of 195.2 mW cm–2 in primary zinc–air batteries. Operational stability tests confirm the structural integrity of the FePt-HCNF catalyst, stemming from the optimized interplay between the engineered carbon framework and atomically dispersed active sites. This work demonstrates a rational design paradigm for durable, cost-effective platinum-based catalysts through atomic-scale support engineering, advancing sustainable energy conversion technologies.