Construction of core‐shell heterostructured MnO@Co/NC for enhancing the oxygen electrocatalytic performance

Abstract The development of non‐precious metal electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a significant research field vital for the progress of zinc−air battery technology. Here, we purposely constructed a core‐shell heterostructured electrocatalyst consisting of MnO nanotubes covered by Co nanoparticles anchored on N‐doped carbon substrate. MnO@Co/NC displayed superior ORR capability with a half‐wave potential of 0.85 V and almost no potential decay after 10,000 cycles CV test, outform that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. Employing MnO@Co/NC as the air electrode catalyst in primary Zn−air batteries leads to a top power density of 145 mW cm −2 and an enhanced specific capacity of 869 mAh g −1 as compared to commercial noble metal catalysts. Such superb ORR performance outcomes primarily stem from the synergistic effect between Co/NC shell and MnO core since the coupling structure not only regulates the inherent electronic structure but also accelerates electron transfer speed and boosts the active sites. Besides, the Co/NC outer layer can also help to improve the corrosion resistance of MnO@Co/NC in the electrolyte. This work demonstrated that the core‐shell heterostructured non‐precious catalysts open up a new avenue for obtaining sufficiently effective ORR catalysts in Zn−air batteries and other related applications.