UNDERSTANDING THE ELECTROCATALYTIC BEHAVIOR OF NANOSTRUCTURED MANGANESE OXIDE GRAPHENE based HYBRID MATERIALS TOWARDS OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTION

Abstract

Driven by rapidly increasing energy demand, environmental pollution, and the depletion of fossil fuel, developing alternative clean and sustainable energy sources is the biggest challenge of twenty first century. Electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices such as fuel cells, water electrolyzers and metal air batteries are considered as alternative energy sources. The fundamental reactions at cathode or anode, which drive these electrochemical devices are oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), fuel oxidation and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However the sluggish reaction kinetics of ORR and OER hindered the wider commercialization of these devices. Usually Pt for ORR, and Ir and Ru for OER have been used as electrocatalysts. Nevertheless high price and scarcity of these noble metal-based catalysts impinge their extensive use. Therefore, designing of non-precious earth abundant electrocatalysts with high catalytic efficiency has become the ultimate goal of the present day research. newline