Fluorinated Iron Phthalocyanine–rGO Hybrid Cathodes for Fast and Stable Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Aqueous zinc batteries have become an attractive alternative for energy storage due to their low cost, safety, and low toxicity compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, which suffer from safety concerns. However, they are limited by the lack of high-performance, stable cathodes. Herein, we report the electrochemical study of iron phthalocyanine-reduced graphene oxide hybrid materials as cathodes for aqueous zinc batteries. The prepared materials had a voltage of 1.2 V and displayed high cyclic stability with a capacity retention of over 70% after 2500 cycles and a high-rate performance up to 2000 mA/g, which represents an improvement compared to bare iron phthalocyanine, highlighting the positive effect of the incorporation of reduced graphene oxide to prepare a hybrid. Furthermore, incorporating fluorine into the phthalocyanine ring led to improved battery performance, which highlights the positive effect of tuning the phthalocyanine ring for the design of high-performance phthalocyanine-based cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries.