Title: Atomically Thin Mesoporous Co ₃O ₄ Layers Strongly Coupled with N-rGO Nanosheets as High-Performance Bifunctional Catalysts for 1D Knittable Zinc-Air Batteries [Atomically Thin Mesoporous Co ₃O ₄/N-rGO Nanosheets as the Bifunctional Catalysts for One-Dimensional Knittable Zinc-Air Batteries]

Abstract

Here, under development for next–generation wearable electronics are flexible, knittable, and wearable energy–storage devices with high energy density that can be integrated into textiles. Herein, knittable fiber–shaped zinc–air batteries with high volumetric energy density (36.1 mWh cm ^–3) are fabricated via a facile and continuous method with low–cost materials. Furthermore, a high–yield method is developed to prepare the key component of the fiber–shaped zinc–air battery, i.e., a bifunctional catalyst composed of atomically thin layer–by–layer mesoporous Co ₃O ₄/nitrogen–doped reduced graphene oxide (N–rGO) nanosheets. Benefiting from the high surface area, mesoporous structure, and strong synergetic effect between the Co ₃O ₄ and N–rGO nanosheets, the bifunctional catalyst exhibits high activity and superior durability for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Compared to a fiber–shaped zinc–air battery using state–of–the–art Pt/C + RuO ₂ catalysts, the battery based on these Co ₃O ₄/N–rGO nanosheets demonstrates enhanced and stable electrochemical performance, even under severe deformation. Such batteries, for the first time, can be successfully knitted into clothes without short circuits under external forces and can power various electronic devices and even charge a cellphone.

Authors:

Li, Yingbo ^[1]; Zhong, Cheng ^[1]; Liu, Jie ^[1]; Zeng, Xiaoqiao ^[2]; Qu, Shengxiang ^[1]; Han, Xiaopeng ^[1]; Deng, Yida ^[1]; Hu, Wenbin ^[1]; Lu, Jun  ^[2]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Tianjin Univ., Tianjin (China)
2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)

Publication Date:

2017-12-06

Research Org.:

Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

National Key Research and Development Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)

OSTI Identifier:

1466320

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1412569

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-06CH11357

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Advanced Materials

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 30; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 0935-9648

Publisher:

Wiley

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; atomically thin hybrid nanosheets; cobalt oxides; knittable; wearable electronics; zinc-air batteries