Abstract:
Zinc-air batteries emerge as a highly promising option for renewable energy storage
within grid systems and electric vehicles amidst global warming and energy scarcity.
However, challenges such as sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction & oxygen
reduction reaction have hindered their large-scale commercialization. This study
addresses these challenges by developing a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst
utilizing cobalt-manganese nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (Co-Mn/N-MC) using
a template casting method. Bimetallic catalysts offer improved catalytic activity by
leveraging the complementary properties of both cobalt and manganese within a
nitrogen-doped carbon framework. The Co-Mn/N-MC catalyst demonstrated
impressive results for both key reactions. For ORR, it achieved a half-wave potential
(E₁/₂) of 0.85 V, reflecting high activity. Regarding the OER it showed an over
potential of 360mV at 10mA/cm2
and a Tafel slope of 55 mV/dec, indicating efficient
reaction kinetics. This research demonstrates a scalable and cost-effective catalyst
with performance comparable to traditional catalyst based on precious metal such as
iridium and platinum by using abundant, low-cost materials, the proposed catalyst
addresses key economic and technical barriers to the commercialization of MABs.
With enhanced bifunctional performance, this study contributes to the broader
implementation of metal air batteries in grid scale energy storage, electric vehicle and
other renewable energy systems.
