Nano-sized La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 as oxygen reduction catalyst in nonaqueous Li/O2 batteries

Nano-sized La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 prepared by the polyethylene glycol assisting sol-gel method was applied as oxygen reduction catalyst in nonaqueous Li/O-2 batteries. The as-synthesized La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller measurements. The XRD results indicate that the sample possesses a pure perovskite-type crystal structure, even sintered at a temperature as low as 600 A degrees C, whereas for solid-state reaction method it can only be synthesized above 1,200 A degrees C. The as-prepared nano-sized La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 has a specific surface area of 32 m(2) g(-1), which is much larger than the solid-state one (1 m(2) g(-1)), and smaller particle size of about 100 nm. Electrochemical results show that the nano-sized La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 has better catalytic activity for oxygen reduction, higher discharge plateau and specific capacity.