Ms. Chen Deng

Ph.D. candidate

UNSW Sydney

Ms. Chen Deng is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and expected to obtain her degree at the end of 2019. She received her Bachelor (2013) in Pharmaceutical Engineering and Master (2016) in Chemical Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology, China. Her research is focused on designing and synthesizing highly efficient and cost-effective electrocatalyst applied in energy related reaction, including hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction and biomass oxidation.

Ternary MnO/CoMn Alloy@N-doped graphitic composites derived from a bi-metallic pigment as bi-functional electrocatalysts

Developing a highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains significant for metal-air battery progress. Among all candidates, non-precious transition metal composite materials with the appropriate components and nanostructures are promising for the ORR and OER. Herein, a composite comprising a CoMn alloy coated with N-doped carbon and MnO is synthesized by a facile strategy involving the annealing of a Prussian blue analogue. The derived heterogeneous composite imposes the benefits of a CoMn alloy, N-doped carbon and MnO, giving a low onset potential (0.91 V), positive half-wave potential (0.76 V) and large limiting current density (5.8 mA cm–2). The enhanced ORR activity can be attributed to the optimal surface electronic configuration of the alloy, which facilitates intermediate dissociation, in combination with the heterojunctions, which favour charge transfer from the alloy and oxide. In addition, the electrocatalyst displays promising activity for the OER with an onset potential of 1.53 V and a low potential of 1.65 V at 10 mA cm–2, highlighting its prospect as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst.