Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Layer with Embedded Co/CoOx Nanoparticles Coated on CNTs for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Zn–Air Battery

One-dimension (1D) heteroatom-doped mesoporous carbon is a promising alternative catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This work reported a hybrid ORR electrocatalyst composed of Co/CoOx nanoparticles embedded in N-doped mesoporous carbon layer coated on carbon nanotubes (CNTs@Co–N–C). Owing to the 1D mesoporous architecture with abundant active sites, CNTs@Co–N–C hybrid showed superior ORR activity, high selectivity, and long-term durability. Moreover, as cathode catalyst for primary Zn–air battery, CNTs@Co–N–C also showed excellent performance comparable to Pt/C. Thus, this study can offer a good idea for preparing noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for energy applications.