Xuejing Cui, Xiaoke Li, Luhua Jiang*

Electrocatalysis & Nanomaterial Laboratory, College of Materials Science & Engineering,

Qingdao University of Science & Technology, Qingdao, 266042, P.R. China

Abstract

Herein, a unique carbon sponge FeNC@GA-MF with a hierarchical porous structure was prepared by a multi-step self-assembly strategy, with a high surface area of 1184.8 m² g^-1, a pseudocapacitance of 133.5 F g^-1, and also superior activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (E_1/2 = 0.866 V_RHE). The Zn-air battery fabricated with the FeNC@GA-MF cathode delivers a peak power density of 156 mW cm^-2 and a satisfied stability, outperforming the Pt/C cathode, benefiting from the high intrinsic activity, large surface area of the unique hierarchical porous structure. This work provides an effective strategy to fabricate self-supporting electrodes for fuel cells and supercapacitors.

Keywords: Hierarchical porous carbon sponge; supercapacitor; oxygen reduction reaction; electrocatalyst; Zn-air battery

Author to whom correspondence should be sent: luhuajiang@qust.edu.cn.