Preparation and bifunctional properties of the A-site-deficient SrTi 0.3 Fe 0.6 Ni 0.1 O 3- δ perovskite.

The development of efficient, non-noble metal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for their application in energy storage devices, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. In this study, SrTi 0.3 Fe 0.6 Ni 0.1 O 3- δ (STFN) perovskite was synthesized using the sol-gel method, and its electrocatalytic activity was evaluated using a rotating disk electrode (RDE) in an alkaline medium. STFN synthesized at the optimum synthesis temperature of 800 °C exhibited good ORR and OER performances. To further improve electrocatalytic activity, a series of Sr 1- x Ti 0.3 Fe 0.6 Ni 0.1 O 3- δ ( x = 0, 0.05, and 0.1) perovskites with A-site vacancies were synthesized at 800 °C. Material characterization results showed that the removal of the A-site from the perovskite led to an increase in surface oxygen vacancies, resulting in higher ORR and OER activities. The results of this study indicate that Sr 1- x Ti 0.3 Fe 0.6 Ni 0.1 O 3- δ ( x = 0.1) is a promising bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst for Zn-air batteries.