Metal–Organic‐Framework‐Derived Trimetallic Nitrogen‐Doped Nanoflowers as Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalyst for Rechargeable Zn–Air Battery

Low‐cost, highly active and durable bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts are critical for the commercial development of rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs). Here, we report a trimetallic Fe/Co/Zn codoped nitrogen carbon catalyst (Fe 1 ‐CoZnNC‐800) derived from a bud‐like zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐12@ZIF‐11) obtained via the incorporation of Fe 2+ into the parent MOF. Pyrolysis at 800°C transforms the precursor into an open, flower‐like carbon architecture that exposes abundant M–N x (M = Fe, Co) active sites while retaining a hierarchical meso‐/macropore network (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, BET ≈320 m 2 g − 1 ). In 0.1 M KOH, Fe 1 –CoZnNC‐800 delivers a half‐wave potential of 0.81 V for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential of 360 mV at 10 mA cm −2 , outperforming most nonprecious benchmarks with robust stability and good methanol tolerance. When integrated into a ZAB air cathode, Fe 1 –CoZnNC‐800 affords a peak power density of 394 mW cm −2 and sustains stable charge/discharge cycling for 275 h at 10 mA cm −2 without obvious voltage fade, demonstrating its potential as a platinum‐free bifunctional cathode for next‐generation metal–air batteries.