An ultra capacity class of air battery fabricated by infinite-cycled, high-dispersed and non-Pt metal-atom catalyzed cathode matching 11-electron transferring VB2 anode

To meet the demands of high-performance and sustainable energy storage, this study proposes a novel VB 2 –air battery system combining a high-capacity vanadium diboride (VB 2 ) anode with a nitrogen-doped carbon-supported iron single-atom catalyst (Fe/NC) cathode. The VB 2 anode, featuring a theoretical 11-electron redox reaction, delivers ultra-high specific capacity, while the Fe/NC cathode exhibits excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance and atomic-level dispersion. For the first time, we demonstrate that this SAC-based cathode enables outstanding synergy with the VB 2 anode, resulting in enhanced discharge capacity (up to 3900 mAh·g −1 ), excellent rate capability, and long-term discharge efficiency retention (84.4 % after 10 continuous cycles). This work reveals a promising pathway toward cost-effective, high-performance primary metal–air batteries and offers a new paradigm in cathode–anode reaction coordination for multi-electron systems.