Controlled synthesis of porous spinel cobalt manganese oxides as efficient oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts

In this article, we report a facile precursor pyrolysis method to prepare porous spinel-type cobalt manganese oxides (Co_xMn_3-xO₄) with controllable morphologies and crystalline structures. The capping agent in the reaction was found to be crucial on the formation of the porous spinel cobalt manganese oxides from cubic Co₂MnO₄ nanorods to tetragonal Co₂Mn₄ microspheres and tetragonal Co₂Mn₄ cubes, respectively. All of the prepared spinel materials exhibit brilliant oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis along with high stability. In particular, the cubic Co₂MnO₄ nanorods show the best performance with an onset potential of 0.9 V and a half-wave potential of 0.72 V which are very close to the commercial Pt/C. Meanwhile, the cubic Co₂MnO₄ nanorods present superior stability with negligible degradation of their electrocatalytic activity after a continuous operation time of 10, 000 seconds, which is much better than the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst.