Electrochemical Activity of Natural and Synthetic Manganese Dioxides

Abstract

Abstracteven manganese dioxide (MD) forms including natural ramsdellite, β-MnO2 and samples with structures intermediate between these two types, have been analyzed interms of chemical and structural disorder. XRD and IR spectra show that natural ramsdellite contains groutellite, MnO1.5(OH)0.5. The OH absorption band in the 3400cm-1 region is sharp for groutellite, less intense on CMD spectrum, andsuperimposed to a broad and diffuse absorption ranging from 3600 to 2000cm-1 in most γ-MnO2's. The OH groups are associated with Mn+3 defects, while the broad and diffuse absorption band can be assigned to protons in empty MnO6 octahedra, and so related to instable manganese oxydation state between Mn3+ and Mn4+.A potentiostatic study in IM and 7M KOH shows that the stoichiometric oxides, ramsdelliteand β-MnO2, are not reduced, while CMD and EMD are reversibly reduced by H+/-einsertion. In 7M KOH, a reversible reduction occurs for both CMDs and EMDs until -0.2 V, while a heterogeneous mechanism destroys the structure at lower potential (70% capacity loss after 3 redox cycles). Only ramsdellite and β-MnO2 can be cycled reversibly below -0.37 V, but the drained capacity is very low for β-MnO2.The presence of Mn3+ and Mn4+ vacancies associated to structural disorderin synthetic MDs increases their reduction potential and completely modifies the chemicalproperties. This mixed valence state seems to be at the origin of the reduction properties by proton insertion in protonic electrolytes.