Issue 39, 2020

The influence of ruthenium substitution in LaCoO3 towards bi-functional electrocatalytic activity for rechargeable Zn–air batteries

Abstract

The rechargeable zinc–air battery is a clean technology for energy storage applications but is impeded by the slow kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during its cycling. Herein, a series of lanthanum cobaltate based perovskites are synthesised with the B-site cation deficiencies in the structure occupied by Ru substitution: LaCo1−xRuxO3−δ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5). These compositions were designed to enhance the OER/ORR activities, which are two vital reactions for rechargeable Zn–air batteries. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that increasing the Ru substitution >20% (x > 0.2) alters the LaCoO3 crystal structure from rhombohedral to orthorhombic. Photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal that the surface oxygen vacancies increased in the Ru substituted catalyst, a property important for enhancing the OER/ORR efficiency. The LaCo0.8Ru0.2O3−δ (LCRO82) catalyst exhibits promising electrocatalytic activities in both the OER and the ORR in 0.1 M KOH solution. Furthermore, the LCRO82 catalyst was evaluated as a cathode for rechargeable Zn–air battery applications displaying a high power density of 136 mW cm−2 at a current density of 175 mA cm−2 and a stable charge–discharge voltage gap of 0.78 V after 1440 cycles, with excellent cycling stability over 240 h.

Graphical abstract: The influence of ruthenium substitution in LaCoO3 towards bi-functional electrocatalytic activity for rechargeable Zn–air batteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Jul 2020
Accepted
07 Sep 2020
First published
11 Sep 2020

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 20612-20620

The influence of ruthenium substitution in LaCoO3 towards bi-functional electrocatalytic activity for rechargeable Zn–air batteries

S. G. Chandrappa, P. Moni, D. Chen, G. Karkera, K. R. Prakasha, R. A. Caruso and A. S. Prakash, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 20612 DOI: 10.1039/D0TA06673G

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