Cobalt-iron catalyst extends zinc-air battery life to 3,500 cycles

Researchers at Monash University have developed a novel cobalt-iron dual-metal single-atom catalyst, CoFe-2DSA, that significantly enhances the performance and lifespan of zinc-air batteries. This catalyst, embedded in ultra-thin porous carbon nanosheets created via molten salt-assisted pyrolysis, accelerates the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) that typically limit metal-air battery efficiency. The unique 2D structure exposes more active sites and improves charge and mass transfer, resulting in higher energy storage, greater power output, and exceptional stability. In practical tests, zinc-air batteries using CoFe-2DSA achieved a power density of 229.6 mW/cm², a specific capacity of 811.5 mAh/g, and maintained performance over 3,500 charge-discharge cycles spanning 74 days. Density Functional Theory analysis revealed that the coordination of cobalt and iron atoms with nitrogen dopants optimizes reaction pathways and electron transfer, explaining the catalyst’s high efficiency