(La_0.8Sr_0.2)_0.95Mn_0.5Fe_0.5O₃Perovskite as anEfficient Bi‐Functional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen‐Involved Reaction and Zn‐Air Batteries

Abstract The perovskite‐type oxide (La 0.8 Sr 0.2 ) 0.95 Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3 , synthesized using lanthanum resources recovered from polishing powder waste and manganese resources obtained from zinc anode mud, was obtained via a facile polymer‐assisted combustion method, and further applied in zinc‐air batteries.The crystal phase and microstructure features of the thus‐obtained nanoparticles were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption‐desorption measurements. The results showed that the (La 0.8 Sr 0.2 ) 0.95 Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3 particles, with nanoscale size, possess a high specific surface area and a suitable Mn 3+ /Mn 4+ molar ratio, which will benefit both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). As expected, the thus‐fabricated (La 0.8 Sr 0.2 ) 0.95 Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3 electrode exhibits a high current density of 71.2 and 85.2 mA cm −2 at −0.2 V and 0.6 V vs. Hg/HgO, respectively, which is superior to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst (58 and 31 mA cm −2 , respectively).Subsequently, this compound oxide can be an air electrode in a rechargeable zinc‐air battery. The assembled battery, using (La 0.8 Sr 0.2 ) 0.95 Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3 as the cathode, exhibits a discharge voltage of 1.05~1.16 V and a charge voltage of 2.03~2.13 V under 15 mA cm −2 for 150 h.The excellent electrochemical results presented in this study highlight the potential of (La 0.8 Sr 0.2 ) 0.95 Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3 as a highly efficient and commercially viable bifunctional electrocatalyst for applications in rechargeable zinc‐air batteries.