Temperature-dependent electronic structure of bixbyite α-Mn2O3 and the importance of a subtle structural change on oxygen electrocatalysis

• Main Authors: Junais Habeeb Mokkath, Maryam Jahan, Masahiko Tanaka, Satoshi Tominaka, Joel Henzie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021-12-01
• Series: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials
• Subjects: manganese oxide; jahn–teller distortions; phase change; oer; orr
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14686996.2020.1868949

Bixbyite $$\alpha $$-Mn2O3 is an inexpensive Earth-abundant mineral that can be used to drive both oxygen evolution (OER) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in alkaline conditions. It possesses a subtle orthorhombic $$ \to $$ cubic phase change near room temperature that suppresses Jahn–Teller distortions and presents a unique opportunity to study how atomic structure affects the electronic structure and catalytic activity at a temperature range that is easily accessible in OER/ORR experiments. Previously, we observed that heat-treated $$\alpha $$-Mn2O3 had a better performance as a bifunctional catalyst in the oxygen evolution (OER) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) (Dalton Trans. 2016, 45, 18,494–18,501). We hypothesized that heat-treatment pinned the material into a more electrochemically active cubic phase. In this manuscript, we use high-resolution X-ray diffraction to collect the temperature-dependent structures of $$\alpha $$-Mn2O3, and then input them into ab initio calculations. The electronic structure calculations indicate that the orthorhombic $$ \to $$ cubic phase transition causes the Mn 3d and O 2p bands to overlap and mix covalently, transforming $$\alpha $$-Mn2O3 from a semiconductor to a semimetal. This subtle change in structure also modifies Mn-O-Mn bond distances, which may improve the activity of the material in oxygen electrochemistry. OER and ORR experiments were performed using the same electrode at various temperatures. They show a jump in the exchange current density near the phase change temperature, demonstrating the higher activity of the cubic phase.