Entropy-Driven Competitive Adsorption Sites Tailoring Unlocks Efficient Hybrid Conversion Zn-Air Batteries

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Hybrid conversion zinc-air batteries (HC-ZABs) offer sustainable energy storage and chemical synthesis.
• Electrocatalytic reaction efficiency and selectivity are key challenges in HC-ZABs.
• Benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction (BAOR) is a target application for green synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a novel high-entropy perovskite catalyst for improved HC-ZAB performance.
• To enhance electrocatalytic activity, selectivity, and stability for BAOR.
• To demonstrate efficient energy storage and benzoic acid production using the developed catalyst.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of a high-entropy perovskite, La$_{0.6}$Sr$_{0.1}$Ca$_{0.1}$Rb$_{0.1}$Y$_{0.1}$CoO$_{3}$ (HE-LCO).
• Electrocatalytic performance evaluation for benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction (BAOR) in HC-ZABs.
• Operando spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements, and theoretical calculations to understand reaction mechanisms.

Main Results:

• HE-LCO exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity, selectivity, and stability compared to conventional perovskites for BAOR.
• Entropy-driven modulation in HE-LCO balanced reactant adsorption and suppressed oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• HC-ZABs with HE-LCO achieved a long lifespan (900 cycles), high energy efficiency (62.8% improvement), and significant benzoic acid yield (0.85 g/cycle).

Conclusions:

• The developed HE-LCO catalyst effectively addresses the bottleneck in HC-ZABs by optimizing electrocatalytic reactions.
• This work presents a promising integrated device for simultaneous sustainable energy storage and green electrochemical synthesis.
• The findings highlight the potential of high-entropy materials in advancing energy and environmental technologies.