Abstract: Zinc-air batteries(ZABs) have garnered extensive attention from researchers due to their high theoretical energy density, low cost, environmental friendliness, and excellent safety. However, the dynamic process of the air cathode in ZABs is relatively slow, which limits their commercialization. In this study, natural biomass lotus stem was used as a carbon precursor, and a ZnCl2 chemical activation method was employed to modulate the hierarchical pore structure. A one-step pyrolysis method was successfully utilized to prepare a nitrogen-doped carbon tube-supported cobalt nanoparticles electrocatalyst (Co-NC). The optimized lotus stem structure with ZnCl2, the pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen in the nitrogen-doped carbon tubes, and the uniformly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles provide a substantial number of active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The Co-NC catalyst exhibited good catalytic activity for ORR (E1/2, 0.82 V) and OER (overpotential of 300 mV at 10 mA·cm-2). Furthermore, the liquid ZABs assembled with Co-NC displayed an open-circuit voltage of 1.5 V, a specific capacity of 776.6 mAh·g-1Zn, and a cycling stability of 94 hours. This research offers new insights for the development of biomass-derived carbon materials as electrocatalysts.
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