Performance of iron-air battery with iron nanoparticle-encapsulated C-N composite electrode

Highly efficient and stable iron electrodes are of great significant to the development of iron-air battery (IAB). In this paper, iron nanoparticle-encapsulated C-N composite (NanoFe@CN) was synthesized by pyrolysis using polyaniline as the C-N source. Electrochemical performance of the NanoFe@CN in different electrolytes (alkaline, neutral, and quasi-neutral) was investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV). The IAB was assembled with NanoFe@CN as the anode and IrO₂ + Pt/C as the cathode. The effects of different discharging/charging current densities and electrolytes on the battery performance were also studied. Neutral K₂SO₄ electrolyte can effectively suppress the passivation of iron electrode, and the battery showed a good cycling stability during 180 charging/discharging cycles. Compared to the pure nano-iron (NanoFe) battery, the NanoFe@CN battery has a more stable cycling stability either in KOH or NH₄Cl + KCl electrolyte.