Pyrolysis -Free Formamide-Derive D N-dope D Carbon Supporting Atomically Dispersed Cobalt As High-Performance Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalyst

•A pyrolysis-free strategy for the preparation of CoNC electrocatalysts was developed.•CoNC/GO was confirmed with ultrathin CoNC and dense atomically dispersed cobalt sites.•CoNC/GO exhibited good bifunctional ORR and OER performance.•Rechargeable ZAB assembled with CoNC/GO showed highly efficient and stable performance.