Abstract:
In this work, a Fe/Cu bimetallic nitrogen-doped carbon cathode catalyst (FeCuCN) featuring a wrinkled layered morphology and abundant meso-microporous structures was synthesized via a NaCl salt-template method combined with a multi-step pyrolysis process and a glucose-assisted strategy. This material exhibits high-density metal–Nx active sites and defect structures, significantly enhancing electronic transport and intermediate adsorption.. Electrochemical results showed that FeCuCN deliversed a high specific capacity at a low current density, maintained an excellent output performance at high rates and achieved long-term cycling stability exceeding
1000 hours.. Product characterization confirms the reversible formation/decomposition of Li
2CO
3 and carbonaceous. Among these, the nano-short rod-shaped Li
2CO
3 had better interface bonding, which effectively reduced the charge overpotential. Mechanism analysis revealed that the Fe/Cu bimetallic synergistic effect combined with the nitrogen-doped carbon substrate constructs an efficient electron-transport network while the hierarchical porous architecture promotes CO
2 diffusion and product storage. These combined effects enable high reversibility in CO
2 reduction/evolution, providing new insights for the rational design of high-performance Li-CO
2 battery catalysts.