ABSTRACT
Owing to the instability of carbon induced by discharge intermediates and products during discharge/charge in the development of advanced bifunctional catalysts in RMABs, this chapter 5 presents noncarbon materials as advanced bifunctional catalysts for RMABs in terms of their material selection, synthesis strategy, structural characterization and electrochemical performance. Their advantages induced by different components for enhancing RMAB performance are discussed, and several challenges related to the catalyst properties, material preparation, and electrode/battery performance are also analyzed in this chapter. Although most noncarbon materials show low electronic conductivity, poor surface area, and small porosity, the combination of different noncarbon materials have considered an effective approach to form new noncarbon-based composite bifunctional catalysts for both ORR and OER in RMABs. It is demonstrated that coupled with the optimized morphology of catalysts, the synergistic effect of different components plays an important role in not only enhancing the fast transport of O2 and electrolytes but also accommodating the reaction product during the discharging/charging process, resulting in the improvement of energy output, round-trip efficiency and cyclability.
