A comparison of iron phthalocyanine and cobalt porphyrin on the electrochemical catalysis in Ni-MH battery

The effects of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) and cobalt porphyrin (CoPp) on inner pressure and cycle behavior of sealed Ni-MH batteries were investigated in this study. The morphology of battery electrode was observed by SEM. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of floating-charge/discharge battery was also measured. Experimental results show that the addition of FePc or CoPp to the alloy electrode is an effective approach to decrease the internal pressure of battery during the process of charge and overcharge. In contrast to CoPp, the battery with FePc exhibits a slower capacity decay and a smaller overpotential at the same charge-discharge rate. As an electrocatalyst, FePc may more effectively speed up the reduction of oxygen, and decrease its reduction potential. As a result, the charge process is accelerated, the gas evolution is reduced and the pulverization of electrode materials is slowed down.