Facile Synthesis of La0.5Sr0.5Co0.53Mn0.47O3/g-C3N4 Hybrid Materials and Study on Bifunctional ORR and OER Performance

Perovskite oxides have emerged as promising cost-effective catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis in zinc-air battery systems, particularly for oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) reactions. This study demonstrates a strategic enhancement of La _0.5 Sr _0.5 Co _0.53 Mn _0.47 O ₃ (LCO) perovskite through controlled integration with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C ₃ N ₄ ) via sol-gel synthesis coupled with condensation reflux. Systematic evaluation of the LCO/g-C ₃ N ₄ composites (denoted as LCO-X%, X = 10–90) reveals optimized bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis at 70% g-C ₃ N ₄ incorporation. The LCO-70% composite exhibits superior electrochemical performance with a positive ORR half-wave potential of 0.78 V vs. RHE and reduced OER overpotential of 387 mV at 10 mA cm ^− 2 , representing 90 mV and 91 mV improvements respectively compared to pristine LCO(0.69 V,478 mV). Mechanistic analysis indicates the enhanced activity originates from synergistic interfacial interactions between the perovskite matrix and carbon nitride, coupled with optimized Mn valence states and nitrogen coordination environments. This work establishes a facile doping strategy to engineer perovskite-based composite electrodes with enhanced bifunctional activity for advanced metal-air battery applications.