Zhiwei Li

A key challenge in metal-air batteries (MAB) is the slow kinetics of both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, it is necessary to develop catalysts that can optimize their kinetic performance. Herein, a bifunctional catalytic material, FePc-CoFe₂O₄/CNT, was fabricated through a scalable and facile method due to the π-π stacking effect. The introduction of FePc promotes electron transfer from the Fe sites in FePc and the Co sites in CoFe₂O₄ to the lattice oxygen in CoFe₂O₄. This process not only overcomes the poor intrinsic conductivity of FePc and enhances the catalytic activity of the Fe-N₄ sites but also increases the number of Co³⁺ active sites. Systematic investigations demonstrate that the synergistic interaction between FePc and CoFe₂O₄/CNT markedly accelerates the reaction kinetics, resulting in a reduced potential gap between the OER potential at 10 mA cm^-2 and the ORR half-wave potential (ΔE = 0.82 V). When used as an air electrode in aqueous zinc-air batteries (ZAB), the catalyst achieves a power density of 199.5 mW cm^-2 and stable cycling for over 1000 h at a current density of 2 mA cm^-2, outperforming the benchmark Pt/C + RuO₂. Remarkably, the catalyst also exhibits excellent performance in lithium-air batteries (LAB), maintaining a capacity retention rate of 99.8% after 225 cycles. This study provides valuable insights into the design of catalysts for MAB.

Rechargeable batteries operated based on lithium‐metal anodes represent a major breakthrough in the field of electrochemical energy storage. However, the Li‐metal batteries (LMBs) are practically hindered by unstable anode chemistry that invites dendrite formation and parasitic reactions, and accounts for rapid battery failure and safety issues. Here we show that a bismuth‐based, inorganic‐rich artificial solid electrolyte interphase (ASEI) helps to effectively stabilize the anode‐electrolyte interface. The interphase is derived from the in situ reaction between Li and Bi(CF ₃ SO ₃ ) ₃ ‐LiNO ₃ salt mixture, and consists of multiple components including Li ₃ Bi, Bi, LiF, and Li ₃ N. The inorganic‐rich ASEI demonstrates high electrolyte wettability, lithiophilicity, and mechanical strength, and a low Li ⁺ diffusion energy barrier, so that it promotes uniform Li plating/stripping while effectively suppressing the dendrite formation and volume variation. By applying ASEI, a Li||Li symmetric battery maintains stable cycling for > 1000 h at an ultra‐high current density of 10 mA cm ⁻² and an areal capacity of 10 mAh cm ⁻² . LMBs that pair the ASEI‐modified Li anode with various layered oxide cathodes exhibit improved cycling and rate performance, and a 10‐Ah Li‐metal pouch cell demonstrates favorable cycling performance at a high specific energy of > 460 Wh kg ⁻¹ , showing promise for the next‐generation electrochemical energy storage.