Self-reconstructed interlayer derived by in-situ Mn diffusion from La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 via atomic layer deposition for an efficient bi-functional electrocatalyst

Abstract

The development of efficient electrocatalyst is crucial to realize a sustainable energy conversion and storage system. Herein, we have applied atomic layer deposition (ALD) to depositing nano-sized Co3O4 onto La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 (LSM). Interestingly, an in-situ Mn diffusion from LSM during ALD process gives a self-reconstructed MnCo2O4 spinel interlayer between LSM and Co3O4. The X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) of LSM with 20 ALD cycles of Co3O4 (LSM-20-Co) showed a partially left-shifted white line of Co K-edge compared to the that of Co3O4, confirming the existence of the MnCo2O4 interlayer. Notably, the LSM-20-Co catalyst showed comparable Tafel slope for both the ORR (65 mV dec(-1)) and the OER (82 mV dec(-1)) comparing with the Pt/C (58 mV dec(-1)) and IrO2 (114 mV dec(-1)), along with stable cycling performance over 450 min for alkaline Zinc-air battery. This work provides the rational design strategy of self-constructed interlayer via ALD process for efficient bi-functional electrocatalyst.