Developing Cobalt Doped Pr0.5Ba0.5MnO3-δ Electrospun Nanofiber Bifunctional Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

The porous nanofiber Co doped Pr0.5Ba0.5MnO3-δ (PrBaMnO) was successfully synthesized through electrospinning technology and served as a bifunctional catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER). The catalytic activities of the composite catalyst consisting of 50 wt% perovskite catalyst and 50 wt% carbon black (CB) was investigated in alkaline solution. Comparing to the PrBaMnO parent perovskite, remarkable enhancement of ORR and OER performance were achieved on Pr0.5Ba0.5MnCo0.2O3-δ with respect to decreased overpotential and increased current density. A maximum current density of 19.4 mA cm-2 was achieved at 1.95 V (versus. RHE) on Co doped Pr0.5Ba0.5MnO3-δ electrospun nanofiber/CB composite catalyst in OER. In addition, a preferable four electron transfer pathway was demonstrated in the ORR process. All the electrochemical test results suggest the promising application of Co doped Pr0.5Ba0.5MnO3-δ electrospun nanofiber/CB composite as an efficient bi-functional catalyst on fuel cells and metal-air batteries.