Fast Iodine Conversion Kinetics Enabled by Highly Electrocatalytic Molybdenum Carbide Nanocrystal-Embedded Ordered Carbon Nanocages

Aqueous zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage but suffer from sluggish redox kinetics and polyiodide shuttling. Herein, molybdenum carbide nanocrystals embedded within ordered carbon nanocages (MoC-OCNCs) are developed as a highly efficient electrocatalyst. The MoC nanocrystals exhibit strong polyiodide adsorption and significantly reduced energy barriers for iodine redox reactions, as validated by theoretical simulations and in situ Raman spectroscopy. Simultaneously, the interconnected hollow OCNC framework ensures rapid electrolyte penetration and efficient mass transport, while acting as a physical barrier to polyiodide diffusion. Consequently, Zn-I2 batteries with the MoC-OCNCs electrocatalyst deliver an impressive rate capability (142 mAh g-1 at 50 C) and good long-term stability. This performance extends to batteries with high iodine loadings and pouch-cell configurations. This work demonstrates that the synergistic integration of highly active nanocrystals within a conductive, porous matrix is critical for accelerating polyiodide conversions in high-performance Zn-I2 systems.