【Frontiers in HaiChuan Technology】New catalysts for zinc-air batteries developed by Anhui University of Technology and others now available

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New catalyst for zinc-air batteries unveiled January 8, 2025. Recently, researchers from Anhui University of Technology and other institutions developed a universal method that allows for precise control of the distance between single atoms through an interface-anchoring strategy; using this method, they succeeded in creating a new type of efficient catalyst – a diatomic iron catalyst. This catalyst performs excellently in zinc-air batteries, outperforming the precious metal platinum. The relevant research findings were published online in the journal Nature Communications. 　　A zinc-air battery is an environmentally friendly battery that is small in size, light in weight, has a wide operating temperature range, is non-corrosive, and operates safely and reliably. Its cathode catalyst material is usually the precious metal platinum, but due to the limited reserves and high cost of platinum, zinc-air batteries have not yet been put into widespread use. Developing a cathode catalyst that can replace the precious metal platinum and offers superior performance is key to the widespread adoption of zinc-air batteries. 　　The researchers creatively combined chemical etching with a nitrogen source anchoring method to produce highly pure diatomic iron catalysts, and utilized an interface anchoring strategy to achieve precise control over the distance between adjacent iron atoms. They applied the diatomic iron catalyst to the anode of zinc-air batteries as a replacement for traditional platinum catalysts. The results show that this diatomic iron catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity, resistance to complex environments, and long-term stability. 　　The power density of zinc-air batteries assembled using this diatomic iron catalyst reaches 190.6 milliwatts per square centimeter, which is significantly higher than that of zinc-air batteries assembled with traditional platinum catalysts. This study provides new ideas for developing low-cost, high-performance catalysts for zinc-air batteries.