Design of chromium-doped spinel Mn3O4 modulated electronic structure as an efficient catalyst for Li-O2 batteries

Heteroatom doping is considered to be a crucial strategy for the enhancement of the electrocatalytic performance of transition metal oxides by effectively modulating the electronic structure of the catalysts. Herein, chromium-doped Mn3O4 electrocatalyst was systematically synthesized. Due to the doping of Cr ions, a large number of oxygen vacancies appear in the material to provide high catalytic activity. Remarkably, the modified material with a larger surface area can achieve more exposure active sites, which facilitate better electrochemical performance. The lithium-oxygen battery with optimized 15% Cr-Mn3O4 as the electrode exhibited a low overpotential (0.86 V), large discharge capacity (22,288 mAh g−1), excellent rate performance and stable cycle for 740 h. This work provides new insights into the synthesis and development of efficient and highly active Lithium-oxygen battery catalysts with regulating the surface chemical state of the material.