Optimizing the Coordination Energy of Co-N Sites by Co Nanoparticles Integrated with Fe-NCNTs for Boosting PEMFC and Zn-Air Battery Performance.

Enhancing the catalytic performance and durability of M-N─C catalyst is crucial for the efficient operation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and Zn-Air batteries (ZABs). Herein, an approach is developed for the in situ fabrication of a MOFs-derived porous carbon material, co-loaded with Co nanoparticles (NPs) and Co-N sites and integrated onto Fe-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs), named Co-NC/Fe-NCNTs. Incorporating polymer-wrapped CNTs improves MOFs dispersion annealing at high temperature, which amplifies the three-phase boundary (TPB) by generating much more mesopores and exposing additional active sites within the catalysts layer.