Performance Evaluation Of Ruo2 Decorated Mn-Based Catalysts Using Various Carbon Supports For Lithium-Air Batteries

Lithium air batteries are considered to be the future of energy storage devices due to their high theoretical energy densities. In this study, RuO2 decorated Mn-based catalysts with various carbon supports, such as ketjen black (KB), Super P (SP), and graphite, were easily synthesized via hydrothermal and precipitation methods, with their physical and chemical properties subsequently investigated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the morphology of the as-synthesized catalysts. The crystalline phase of the RuO2/Mn-based catalyst was characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystallinity of the synthesized samples was found to be strongly dependent on the pristine properties of the carbon supports. The prepared catalysts were employed as air-cathode materials for lithium-air batteries. RuO2/Mn-based catalysts prepared with ketjen black not only exhibited high electrocatalytic performance, but also stable cyclability up to 40 cycles, compared to prepared catalysts using SP and graphite as carbon supports.