Mn2O3 doping induced the improvement of catalytic performance for oxygen reduction of MnO

Abstract In this study, the catalyst of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Mn 2 O 3 doped MnO for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been successfully synthesized. The structures and morphology of the Mn 2 O 3 doped MnO were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). XRD tests reveal that the Mn 2 O 3 is successfully doped to MnO. The cyclic voltammetry, Tafel, linear scanning voltammetry and current-time chronoamperometric tests prove that the Mn 2 O 3 doped MnO has a better catalytic performance and stronger stability than pure MnO for oxygen reduction. Both the rotating disc electrode and rotating ring disc electrode tests approve that the ORR happens mainly through 4-electron reaction mechanism on Mn 2 O 3 doped MnO. The ORR happens mainly through 2-electron reaction mechanism with the catalysis of pure MnO. The coexistence of manganese ions with different valent promotes the catalytic performance of metal oxide for oxygen reduction.