Construction of a Co/MnO Mott–Schottky Heterostructure to Achieve Interfacial Synergy in the Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Aluminum–Air Batteries
Kaiqi Li, Ruiqi Cheng, Qingyue Xue, Tianshuo Zhao, Fei Wang, Chaopeng Fu
Abstract
The rational design of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for an efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an important research topic to promote the advancement of aluminum-air batteries. In this work, heterostructural Co/MnO nanoparticles encapsulated in a N-doped carbon electrocatalyst were prepared via one-step pyrolysis utilizing different reduction potentials of Co and Mn ions, and the heterointerface between the two phases was confirmed. The prepared catalyst displays Pt/C competitive ORR performance because of the interfacial synergy of a Co/MnO Mott-Schottky (M-S) heterostructure, which leads to boosted conductivity, formation of an M-S barrier, and a reduced oxygen reduction energy barrier for excited electrons. Furthermore, the Co/MnO-based aluminum-air battery displays good discharge performance, demonstrating good feasibility for practical application.