Fe/Ce Dual‐Atom Engineering to Break the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Ultra‐Stable Zinc‐Air Batteries

ABSTRACT To address the stability limitations of conventional Fe─N─C catalysts caused by H 2 O 2 byproducts and reactive oxygen species (ROS), an innovative dual‐metal single‐atom synergistic strategy is developed, resulting in the fabrication of a hierarchically porous hollow carbon fiber catalyst co‐anchored with Fe and Ce dual‐atom sites (FeCe DAC/HCNF). The catalyst features an interconnected network of hollow channels and carbon nanocages, forming a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure (specific surface area: 935.24 m 2 g −1 ) that enhances mass transport efficiency and maximizes exposure of active sites. The dual‐atom site is developed to achieve a “kill two birds with one stone” effect: Ce single‐atom sites adjacent to Fe centers not only effectively scavenge ROS and decompose H 2 O 2 , but also modulate the Fe centers, thereby synergistically enhancing the intrinsic ORR activity while mitigating carbon matrix degradation. The FeCe DAC/HCNF catalyst exhibits exceptional electrochemical performance and stability in both alkaline and acidic media. When integrated into zinc‐air batteries, it achieves superior device performance compared to Fe─N─C catalysts, with a remarkable cycling durability of 2300 cycles (∼1100 h of stable operation). This work breaks the traditional activity‐stability trade‐off of catalysts, providing a novel pathway for developing high‐durability zinc‐air batteries.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2026-09-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.76029
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
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article

Fe/Ce Dual‐Atom Engineering to Break the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Ultra‐Stable Zinc‐Air Batteries

Zhijun Zhang, Jingwen Ma, Junbin Li, Jiaqi Tang et al.
Small
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Fe/Ce Dual‐Atom Engineering to Break the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Ultra‐Stable Zinc‐Air Batteries

Zhijun Zhang, Jingwen Ma, Junbin Li, Jiaqi Tang, Xiang Li
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT To address the stability limitations of conventional Fe─N─C catalysts caused by H 2 O 2 byproducts and reactive oxygen species (ROS), an innovative dual‐metal single‐atom synergistic strategy is developed, resulting in the fabrication of a hierarchically porous hollow carbon fiber catalyst co‐anchored with Fe and Ce dual‐atom sites (FeCe DAC/HCNF). The catalyst features an interconnected network of hollow channels and carbon nanocages, forming a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure (specific surface area: 935.24 m 2 g −1 ) that enhances mass transport efficiency and maximizes exposure of active sites. The dual‐atom site is developed to achieve a “kill two birds with one stone” effect: Ce single‐atom sites adjacent to Fe centers not only effectively scavenge ROS and decompose H 2 O 2 , but also modulate the Fe centers, thereby synergistically enhancing the intrinsic ORR activity while mitigating carbon matrix degradation. The FeCe DAC/HCNF catalyst exhibits exceptional electrochemical performance and stability in both alkaline and acidic media. When integrated into zinc‐air batteries, it achieves superior device performance compared to Fe─N─C catalysts, with a remarkable cycling durability of 2300 cycles (∼1100 h of stable operation). This work breaks the traditional activity‐stability trade‐off of catalysts, providing a novel pathway for developing high‐durability zinc‐air batteries.

Small
Sinopec (China) (CN), Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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Fe/Ce Dual‐Atom Engineering to Break the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Ultra‐Stable Zinc‐Air Batteries — Zhijun Zhang, Jingwen Ma, et al. · Small (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS