Perovskites
are a challenging new class of highly efficient bifunctional
catalysts that hold huge significance in advanced batteries and water
electrolysis. The surface chemistry and surface electronic structures
of the La0.6Sr0.4CoO3−δ (LSC) perovskite is greatly modified upon postsynthesis sintering.
Herein, a new strategy has been demonstrated by intense pulsed light
technology to accomplish the sintering process in milliseconds, and
is comparatively explored with conventionally sintered LSC. The optimized
sintering conditions rejuvenated a new class of a highly active bifunctional
LSC electrocatalyst. The electrochemical activity and surface characteristics
are orders of magnitude superior to those of the thermally sintered
LSC. The best performing LSC catalyst known as LSC 30 exhibits outstanding
bifunctionality with a low overpotential (∼0.89 V). Furthermore,
LSC 30 shows a positively shifted onset potential of 0.92 V and a
high limiting current of −6.1 mA cm–2 at
20 mV s–1, during the oxygen reduction reaction
in alkaline medium. When tested as the air cathode of a zinc–air
battery, LSC 30 delivered a steady performance for 200 cycles. This
study highlights the role of the new concept in the agile synthesis
of perovskite oxides for oxygen catalysis and possible application
as the air cathode in metal air batteries.
Scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) is employed as a cathodic functional layer onto yttria-stabilized zirconia based fuel cell systems for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells.
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