Recent Progress in Defective Carbon‐Based Oxygen Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Zink‐Air Batteries

Abstract In recent years, rechargeable Zn‐air batteries put forward higher requirements on oxygen electrode materials in terms of their bifunctional properties, stability, and economic cost. As an eligible candidate, defective carbon‐based nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention since substantial progresses in oxygen evolution reaction and/or oxygen reduction reaction have been reported sequentially. This review briefly summarizes the recent advancements towards defective carbon‐based oxygen electrode materials, mainly focusing on the structure‐designing strategies and characterization techniques of active centers, as well as the understanding of structure‐property relationships by the combination of experimental result and theoretical calculation for rechargeable Zn‐air batteries. Besides, the current challenges and opportunities in high‐performance carbon electrodes are discussed with an emphasis on future probable solutions.