Mesoporous α-MnO2/Pd catalyst air electrode for rechargeable lithium-air battery

Rechargeable lithium-air battery is studied using Pd/mesoporous alpha-MnO2 air composite electrode. In the present work, we have studied the preparation and electrochemical performance of ordered mesoporous alpha-MnO2 as a cathode catalyst for rechargeable Li-air batteries. alpha-MnO2 was prepared by reduction of KMnO4 solution in acidic aqueous solution followed by successive proton and alkali-ion exchange method. alpha-MnO2 with high surface area of 33-133.0 m(2) g(-1) was successively synthesized and used as an electrode catalyst for Li-air battery. It was found that the mixture of Pd and mesoporous alpha-MnO2 electrode shows the high activity to oxidation and reduction of Li to form Li2O2 or Li2O. Application of Pd/mesoporous alpha-MnO2, which is mixed with teflonized acetylene binder (TAB), for air electrode is effective for decreasing the charge potential and also improved the energy efficiency as well as cyclability. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.