Synergistic Spin‐Polarization Effect and Magnetic Exchange Interaction of Core/Shell Structure for Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

ABSTRACT Rechargeable zinc‐air batteries (RZABs) are hindered by sluggish oxygen reduction and evolution (ORR/OER) kinetics. While core/shell nanostructures can enhance bifunctional electrocatalysis via synergy, achieving precise interfacial electronic modulation and scalable synthesis for ampere‐hour‐level RZABs remain challenging. Herein, we report a scalable synthesis of nitrogen‐doped carbon‐supported CoCuNi/ZnMn 2 O 4 core/shell nanoparticles (CoCuNi/ZnMn 2 O 4 ‐NC) as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst. Leveraging electronegativity differences among transition‐metals, controlled morphology during gram‐scale production is achieved. The core/shell interaction elevates the spin state of surface Mn cations, enabling an antiferromagnetic‐to‐ferromagnetic transition. The dynamic equilibrium of *OH adsorption/desorption is facilitated, and the rate‐determining energy barrier is reduced by 0.17 and 0.15 eV compared to individual ZnMn 2 O 4 and CoCuNi, respectively. The catalyst exhibits outstanding bifunctional performance (ORR half‐wave potential = 0.941 V; OER overpotential = 430 mV at 10 mA cm −2 ) and robust stability. Liquid RZABs using CoCuNi/ZnMn 2 O 4 ‐NC achieve a peak power density of 244.4 mW cm −2 , a specific capacity of 802.5 mAh g − 1 , and stable cycling over 450 h. Practical viability is further confirmed by an 8.4 Ah quasi‐solid‐state pouch cell with an output power of 369 mW and a lifespan of 200 h. This work sheds light on designing and scaling core/shell electrocatalysts toward high‐energy, practical metal‐air batteries.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74285
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Synergistic Spin‐Polarization Effect and Magnetic Exchange Interaction of Core/Shell Structure for Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Xiannong Tang, Kai Yuan, Bingyu Huang, Dirk Lützenkirchen−Hecht et al.
Advanced Materials
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Synergistic Spin‐Polarization Effect and Magnetic Exchange Interaction of Core/Shell Structure for Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Xiannong Tang, Kai Yuan, Bingyu Huang, Dirk Lützenkirchen−Hecht, Yiwang Chen, Yonggan Wu, Yangfan Pei
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rechargeable zinc‐air batteries (RZABs) are hindered by sluggish oxygen reduction and evolution (ORR/OER) kinetics. While core/shell nanostructures can enhance bifunctional electrocatalysis via synergy, achieving precise interfacial electronic modulation and scalable synthesis for ampere‐hour‐level RZABs remain challenging. Herein, we report a scalable synthesis of nitrogen‐doped carbon‐supported CoCuNi/ZnMn 2 O 4 core/shell nanoparticles (CoCuNi/ZnMn 2 O 4 ‐NC) as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst. Leveraging electronegativity differences among transition‐metals, controlled morphology during gram‐scale production is achieved. The core/shell interaction elevates the spin state of surface Mn cations, enabling an antiferromagnetic‐to‐ferromagnetic transition. The dynamic equilibrium of *OH adsorption/desorption is facilitated, and the rate‐determining energy barrier is reduced by 0.17 and 0.15 eV compared to individual ZnMn 2 O 4 and CoCuNi, respectively. The catalyst exhibits outstanding bifunctional performance (ORR half‐wave potential = 0.941 V; OER overpotential = 430 mV at 10 mA cm −2 ) and robust stability. Liquid RZABs using CoCuNi/ZnMn 2 O 4 ‐NC achieve a peak power density of 244.4 mW cm −2 , a specific capacity of 802.5 mAh g − 1 , and stable cycling over 450 h. Practical viability is further confirmed by an 8.4 Ah quasi‐solid‐state pouch cell with an output power of 369 mW and a lifespan of 200 h. This work sheds light on designing and scaling core/shell electrocatalysts toward high‐energy, practical metal‐air batteries.

Advanced Materials
Nanchang University (CN), Qingdao University of Science and Technology (CN), University of Wuppertal (DE), Gannan Normal University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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