Pt<sub>1</sub>/MnO<sub>2</sub> Nanotip Inducing Local Electric Field Intensifies Oxygen Transport for High-Energy-Density Al-Air Battery Stacks.

Song, Min; Zhang, Hongge; Wei, Zexin; Gong, Lihua; Chen, Xiaohu; Xiao, Jianjun; Zhang, Yonghui; Wei, Shizhong et al. · Adv Mater · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Modulating the coordination environment of atomic site catalysts is a promising strategy to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of Al-air battery; however, its practical development is greatly hindered by inefficient oxygen transport across the air cathode. Herein, we design a branch-like MnO<sub>2</sub> support with exposed (100) facets anchoring Pt single atoms (B-Pt<sub>1</sub>/MnO<sub>2</sub>) to address the oxygen transport bottleneck. We demonstrate that the nanotips of branch-like MnO<sub>2</sub> can induce a localized electric field that significantly enhances mesoscale oxygen transport, as validated by finite element simulation, ab initio molecular dynamics, and oxygen diffusion experiments. Meanwhile, we show that the Pt-O<sub>4</sub> coordination stabilized by the (100) facet lowers the reaction energy barrier and hinders Pt leaching. This multiscale microenvironment regulation enables B-Pt<sub>1</sub>/MnO<sub>2</sub> to achieve an ultrahigh energy density of 3690.6 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> and remarkable stability for over 650 h at 50 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>, outperforming all previously reported catalysts. The ensembled practical Al-air battery stack achieves an energy density of 480.2 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup>, which is close to the United States Department of Energy requirements for power battery. Techno-economic analysis reveals a system cost per kW·h only 1/50 of the reported Al-air battery, highlighting its feasibility for sustainable energy applications.