LaTi0.65Fe0.35O3-δ nanoparticle-decorated nitrogen-doped carbon nanorods as an advanced hierarchical air electrode for rechargeable metal-air batteries

The commercialization of metal-air battery needs the discovery of inexpensive and highly effective bifunctional cathode catalysts to promote both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report new perovskite LaTi0.65Fe0.35O3-delta (LTFO) nanoparticles entangled both at the surface and within the nitrogen doped carbon nanorods (NCNR) as a bifunctional ORR and OER catalyst. The electrode exhibits high surface area with a good dispersion of the active perovskite centers on the surface of the nanorods with porous morphology, to be easily accessible for electrocatalytic testing over long term cycling of zinc-air batteries. The inexpensive LTFO catalyst shows a modest overpotential in a rechargeable zinc-air battery and a stable discharge potential region for prolonged periods of at least 12 h in primary zinc-air batteries operated in an ambient air environment. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.