Curvature-induced metal-support interaction regulates Co-N<sub>4</sub> electronic structure for enhanced oxygen electrocatalysis

Limin Zhou; Mengmeng Fan; Yanyan Liu; Shuling Liu; Guozheng Dong; Ao Wang; Jong-Min Lee; Kang Sun; Baojun Li

doi:10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100297

Volume 11 Issue 5

Oct. 2026

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Article Navigation > Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts > 2026 > 11(5): 100297

Limin Zhou, Mengmeng Fan, Yanyan Liu, Shuling Liu, Guozheng Dong, Ao Wang, Jong-Min Lee, Kang Sun, Baojun Li. Curvature-induced metal-support interaction regulates Co-N4 electronic structure for enhanced oxygen electrocatalysis[J]. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, 2026, 11(5): 100297. doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100297

Citation:

Limin Zhou, Mengmeng Fan, Yanyan Liu, Shuling Liu, Guozheng Dong, Ao Wang, Jong-Min Lee, Kang Sun, Baojun Li. Curvature-induced metal-support interaction regulates Co-N₄ electronic structure for enhanced oxygen electrocatalysis[J]. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, 2026, 11(5): 100297. doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100297

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Curvature-induced metal-support interaction regulates Co-N₄ electronic structure for enhanced oxygen electrocatalysis

doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100297

Limin Zhou^a,b,
Mengmeng Fan^b,
Yanyan Liu^{a,c
,
,},
Shuling Liu^d,
Guozheng Dong^d,
Ao Wang^{a
,
,},
Jong-Min Lee^{e
,
,},
Kang Sun^{a
,
,},
Baojun Li^d

a Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), Nanjing 210042, China;
b International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China;
c College of Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China;
d College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China;
e Department of Energy Science and Engineering, DGIST, Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea

Funds:

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Fundamental Research Funds of CAF (No. CAFYBB2023ZA011), the Fifth Batch of Young Talents in Forest and Grassland Science and Technology Innovation Project (No. 2015132016), and the Forestry Technology Projects of Zhejiang Province (No. 2023SY04).

Received Date: 2026-03-23
Accepted Date: 2026-07-31
Rev Recd Date: 2026-06-08

Available Online: 2026-11-03

Publish Date: 2026-08-25

Abstract

Abstract

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have advantages such as high atom utilization and well-defined active sites, and have been extensively studied in the field of oxygen electrocatalysis. However, current strategies for tuning the M-N₄ configurations predominantly focus on local coordination environments, which still makes it difficult to simultaneously optimize the balance of adsorption energies of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) intermediates. Herein, a Zn volatilization-induced pyrolysis strategy is developed to construct Co-N₄ sites coupled with Co nanoparticles on curved N-doped biomass-derived carbon (Co_NPs+SA@NC). The intrinsic curvature and defect-rich structure induce lattice distortion and electronic polarization, significantly enhancing the metal-support interaction (MSI). This curvature-enhanced MSI triggers electronic reconstruction and symmetry breaking of Co-N₄ sites, narrowing the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap and facilitating electron transfer. Meanwhile, the influence of adjacent Co nanoparticles optimizes the electronic structure of Co-N₄, improving the adsorption-desorption capacity of intermediates in the OER process. Therefore, the half-wave potential required to achieve ORR was 0.87 V, and the overpotential required to reach a current density of 10 mA/cm² is only 290 mV. A zinc-air battery (ZAB) based on Co_NPs+SA@NC exhibited a high peak power density of 172 mW/cm². This work highlights curvature-mediated MSI as an effective strategy for controlling single-atom configurations and advancing biomass-derived electrocatalysts.
- Co-N₄ single-atom sites,
- Curvature-induced metal-support interaction,
- Electronic structure modulation,
- Oxygen catalysis,
- Biomass-derived carbon

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References(56)

References

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