Fe/Ce Dual‐Atom Engineering to Break the Activity‐Stability Trade‐Off for Ultra‐Stable Zinc‐Air Batteries

ABSTRACT

To address the stability limitations of conventional Fe─N─C catalysts caused by H ₂ O ₂ byproducts and reactive oxygen species (ROS), an innovative dual‐metal single‐atom synergistic strategy is developed, resulting in the fabrication of a hierarchically porous hollow carbon fiber catalyst co‐anchored with Fe and Ce dual‐atom sites (FeCe DAC/HCNF). The catalyst features an interconnected network of hollow channels and carbon nanocages, forming a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure (specific surface area: 935.24 m ² g ⁻¹ ) that enhances mass transport efficiency and maximizes exposure of active sites. The dual‐atom site is developed to achieve a “kill two birds with one stone” effect: Ce single‐atom sites adjacent to Fe centers not only effectively scavenge ROS and decompose H ₂ O ₂ , but also modulate the Fe centers, thereby synergistically enhancing the intrinsic ORR activity while mitigating carbon matrix degradation. The FeCe DAC/HCNF catalyst exhibits exceptional electrochemical performance and stability in both alkaline and acidic media. When integrated into zinc‐air batteries, it achieves superior device performance compared to Fe─N─C catalysts, with a remarkable cycling durability of 2300 cycles (∼1100 h of stable operation). This work breaks the traditional activity‐stability trade‐off of catalysts, providing a novel pathway for developing high‐durability zinc‐air batteries.