Synergistic effect and nanostructure engineering of three-dimensionally hollow mesoporous spherical Cu3P/TiO2 in aqueous/flexible Zn–air batteries

Abstract

Designing materials with electron/mass transfer effectively improves catalytic activity by synergistic effects between different species. Herein, we report a high-temperature pyrolysis strategy to induce charge transfer of Cu3P loaded TiO2 3D hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres (Cu3P/TiO2@NC). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations disclose that synergistic between Cu3P and TiO2 can optimize the adsorption of oxygen intermediates and endow fast reaction kinetics. Cu3P/TiO2@NC with hollow mesoporous structure can establish a favorable three-phase interface and shorten the electronic/mass transport path to accelerate reaction kinetics. Consequently, Cu3P/TiO2@NC indicated robust electrocatalytic activity in alkaline medium compared to single-component catalysts and benchmark Pt/C. Cu3P/TiO2@NC exhibits a greater power density of 182.9 mW cm−2 and excellent cyclability over 220 h than Pt/C + RuO2 in Zn-air battery. The flexible properties endow Cu3P/TiO2@NC with promising application prospects in wearable electronic devices. This work may provide an avenue to construct hollow-porous-structured catalysts with synergistic effects for renewable energy devices.