Entropy-Engineered Layered Double Hydroxide Derived High-Entropy Alloy Cathodes for Zinc-Air Batteries Under High...

Strong bifunctional electrocatalysts capable of sustaining both oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution (OER) at high depths-of-discharge are crucial for practical rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Here, we present a novel MnFeCoNiCu high-entropy alloy uniformly anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes, derived from a high-entropy layered double hydroxide precursor. A dicyandiamide-assisted pyrolysis enabled simultaneous CNT growth, nitrogen doping, and alloy nanoparticle formation, yielding a single-phase face-centered cubic HEA at 900°C (HEA 900). Structural analyses confirmed homogeneous atomic-level metal dispersion, significant lattice distortion, and strong metal-carbon coupling, providing abundant active sites and enhanced conductivity. Owing to these synergistic effects, HEA 900 exhibited excellent bifunctional activity with an OER overpotential of 475 mV at 10 mA/cm², an ORR half-wave potential of 0.81 V, and a low ΔE of 0.89 V. The HEA-based ZAB showed a near-theoretical specific capacity of 801 mAh/g_Zn, and a peak power density of 186 mW/cm². The cell's remarkable reversibility and mechanical robustness were confirmed by extended cycling under high DOD (up to 10 h per cycle) and impressive energy efficiency over 3325 cycles. Flexible gel-polymer ZABs further demonstrated robust mechanical and electrochemical durability, highlighting this HELDH-derived HEA strategy as a promising paradigm for entropy-engineered catalysts in high-performance ZABs.