Nanopore Confinement of Electrocatalysts Optimizing Triple Transport for an Ultrahigh-Power-Density Zinc-Air Fuel...

Metal-air fuel cells with high energy density, eco-friendliness, and low cost bring significantly high security to future power systems. However, the impending challenges of low power density and high-current-density stability limit their widespread applications. In this study, an ultrahigh-power-density Zn-air fuel cell with robust stability is highlighted. Benefiting from the water-resistance effect of the confined nanopores, the highly active cobalt cluster electrocatalysts reside in specific nanopores and possess stable triple-phase reaction areas, leading to the synergistic optimization of electron conduction, oxygen gas diffusion, and ion transport for electrocatalysis. As a result, the as-established Zn-air fuel cell shows the best stability under high-current-density discharging (>90 h at 100 mA cm^-2 ) and superior power density (peak power density: >300 mW cm^-2 , specific power: 500 Wg_cat ^-1 ) compared to most reported non-noble-metal electrocatalysts. The findings will provide new insights in the rational design of electrocatalysts for advanced metal-air fuel cell systems.