In situ-grown Pt nanocatalysts on PBO-derived nano-fibrillated carbon paper: Efficient self-supporting electrodes for aqueous and flexible quasi-solid Zn-air batteries

As a representative multi-layer energy storage device, zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are inevitably limited by the contact problem between electrode interfaces. Therefore, developing electrode structures with enhanced electron and mass transfer capabilities is crucial for advancing this technology. In this work, Poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole)(PBO) carbon paper with in-situ growth Pt catalyst has been prepared and as self-supporting cathode catalyst layer, expanding the traditional three-phase reaction interface to the entire 3D interconnected structure of the air electrode, effectively integrating the catalytic layer with the gas diffusion layer. The modified PBO CO 2 @A-N surface, adorned with uniformly distributed platinum nanoparticles. This modification resulted in exceptional oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance, characterized by a substantial electrochemical surface area (200.2 m 2 g Pt −1 ) and an half-wave potential of 0.891 V. In addition, the primary PBO CO 2 @A-N-ZAB demonstrated remarkable peak power densities of 128.1 mW cm −2 in aqueous and 59.1 mW cm −2 in flexible primary zinc-air batteries, underscoring its potential for high-performance energy storage applications.