Fe/N Co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers as high-performance catalysts for zinc-bromine flow batteries

Xu Wang; Qiang Zhang; Shuangjie Chu; Tong Qin; Qian Liu; Zhengzheng Li; Jun Wang; Jiayu Wan; Bo Mao

doi:10.1016/j.pnsc.2025.07.008

Fe/N Co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers as high-performance catalysts for zinc-bromine flow batteries

Xu Wang
, Qiang Zhang
, Shuangjie Chu
, Tong Qin
, Qian Liu
, Zhengzheng Li
, Jun Wang
, Jiayu Wan
, Bo Mao

Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Baowu Carbon Technology Co. Ltd.
North University of China
Shanghai Baosteel Research Institute

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Zinc-bromine flow batteries (ZBFBs) are promising for sustainable energy storage due to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the sluggish kinetics of the Br²/Br⁻ redox reaction at the cathode limits their performance. Here, we developed Fe/N co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers (Fe-N-CNFs) as a high-performance cathode catalyst. Synthesized via electrospinning Fe/Zn-ZIFs with PAN/PVP, followed by carbonization, the Fe-N-CNFs exhibited a hierarchical pore structure with a specific surface area of 1057 m² g⁻¹ and an average pore size of 2.5 nm. The optimized catalyst, doped with 4 wt% Fe, achieved an energy efficiency of 81 % at 80 mA cm⁻² and maintained a Coulombic efficiency of 98.4 % over 200 cycles. This work demonstrates the potential of integrating electrospinning with MOF-derived catalysts to enhance ZBFB performance, offering a scalable solution for high-efficiency energy storage systems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	955-962
Number of pages	8
Journal	Progress in Natural Science: Materials International
Volume	35
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2025.07.008
State	Published - Oct 2025
Externally published	Yes

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Keywords

Carbon nanofiber
Catalyst
Electrostatic spinning
Zeolitic imidazolate framework
Zinc-bromine flow battery

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10.1016/j.pnsc.2025.07.008

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@article{5a342bd04aae49d59b66e8cc219ca947,

title = "Fe/N Co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers as high-performance catalysts for zinc-bromine flow batteries",

abstract = "Zinc-bromine flow batteries (ZBFBs) are promising for sustainable energy storage due to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the sluggish kinetics of the Br2/Br− redox reaction at the cathode limits their performance. Here, we developed Fe/N co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers (Fe-N-CNFs) as a high-performance cathode catalyst. Synthesized via electrospinning Fe/Zn-ZIFs with PAN/PVP, followed by carbonization, the Fe-N-CNFs exhibited a hierarchical pore structure with a specific surface area of 1057 m2 g−1 and an average pore size of 2.5 nm. The optimized catalyst, doped with 4 wt\% Fe, achieved an energy efficiency of 81 \% at 80 mA cm−2 and maintained a Coulombic efficiency of 98.4 \% over 200 cycles. This work demonstrates the potential of integrating electrospinning with MOF-derived catalysts to enhance ZBFB performance, offering a scalable solution for high-efficiency energy storage systems.",

keywords = "Carbon nanofiber, Catalyst, Electrostatic spinning, Zeolitic imidazolate framework, Zinc-bromine flow battery",

author = "Xu Wang and Qiang Zhang and Shuangjie Chu and Tong Qin and Qian Liu and Zhengzheng Li and Jun Wang and Jiayu Wan and Bo Mao",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 Chinese Materials Research Society.",

year = "2025",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1016/j.pnsc.2025.07.008",

language = "英语",

volume = "35",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Fe/N Co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers as high-performance catalysts for zinc-bromine flow batteries

AU - Wang, Xu

AU - Zhang, Qiang

AU - Chu, Shuangjie

AU - Qin, Tong

AU - Liu, Qian

AU - Li, Zhengzheng

AU - Wang, Jun

AU - Wan, Jiayu

AU - Mao, Bo

PY - 2025/10

Y1 - 2025/10

N2 - Zinc-bromine flow batteries (ZBFBs) are promising for sustainable energy storage due to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the sluggish kinetics of the Br2/Br− redox reaction at the cathode limits their performance. Here, we developed Fe/N co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers (Fe-N-CNFs) as a high-performance cathode catalyst. Synthesized via electrospinning Fe/Zn-ZIFs with PAN/PVP, followed by carbonization, the Fe-N-CNFs exhibited a hierarchical pore structure with a specific surface area of 1057 m2 g−1 and an average pore size of 2.5 nm. The optimized catalyst, doped with 4 wt% Fe, achieved an energy efficiency of 81 % at 80 mA cm−2 and maintained a Coulombic efficiency of 98.4 % over 200 cycles. This work demonstrates the potential of integrating electrospinning with MOF-derived catalysts to enhance ZBFB performance, offering a scalable solution for high-efficiency energy storage systems.

AB - Zinc-bromine flow batteries (ZBFBs) are promising for sustainable energy storage due to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the sluggish kinetics of the Br2/Br− redox reaction at the cathode limits their performance. Here, we developed Fe/N co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers (Fe-N-CNFs) as a high-performance cathode catalyst. Synthesized via electrospinning Fe/Zn-ZIFs with PAN/PVP, followed by carbonization, the Fe-N-CNFs exhibited a hierarchical pore structure with a specific surface area of 1057 m2 g−1 and an average pore size of 2.5 nm. The optimized catalyst, doped with 4 wt% Fe, achieved an energy efficiency of 81 % at 80 mA cm−2 and maintained a Coulombic efficiency of 98.4 % over 200 cycles. This work demonstrates the potential of integrating electrospinning with MOF-derived catalysts to enhance ZBFB performance, offering a scalable solution for high-efficiency energy storage systems.

KW - Carbon nanofiber

KW - Catalyst

KW - Electrostatic spinning

KW - Zeolitic imidazolate framework

KW - Zinc-bromine flow battery

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105013188922

U2 - 10.1016/j.pnsc.2025.07.008

DO - 10.1016/j.pnsc.2025.07.008

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:105013188922

SN - 1002-0071

VL - 35

SP - 955

EP - 962

JO - Progress in Natural Science: Materials International

JF - Progress in Natural Science: Materials International

IS - 5

ER -

Fe/N Co-doped micro-mesoporous carbon nanofibers as high-performance catalysts for zinc-bromine flow batteries

Abstract

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Keywords

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