Molten Salts Reshape Fe-N-C Catalysts for Stronger Zinc-Air Batteries

Clean energy technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries promise cleaner power, but their wider use is still limited by the need for expensive platinum catalysts at the air electrode. This study presents a molten-salt strategy that turns a three-dimensional iron-doped precursor into layered iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) sheets rich in exposed single-atom iron sites. The new catalyst forms axially coordinated Fe-N₅ structures, improving oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, surface accessibility and mass transport. In alkaline tests, it outperformed commercial platinum on carbon (Pt/C), and in zinc-air batteries it delivered higher power and longer discharge, offering a scalable route to low-cost, high-performance clean energy devices while reducing dependence on scarce precious metals.