Vol.27 No.1(1) [2005]

Electrochemical properties of Fe2O3-Nano-Loaded Carbon and Fe2O3-Nano/Carbon Mixed Composites for Iron-Air Battery Anodes

Bui Thi HANG, Minato EGASHIRA, Izumi WATANABE, Satoshi HATA, Shigeto OKADA, Jun-ichi YAMAKI, Seong-Ho YOON

[ABSTRACT ]

In order to find the adequate material for Fe/air battery anode,two kinds of materials,Fe2O3-nano-loaded carbon and Fe2O3-nano mixed carbon material using various carbon materials, were prepared.The Fe2O3-nano-loaded carbon material was prepared by loading Fe2O3 on carbon using a chemical method.Fe(NO3)3 was impregnated on carbon with different weight ratios of iron to carbon in an aqueous solution,and the mixture was dried and then calcined for lh at 400℃ in flowing Ar.For the Fe2O3-nano mixed carbon material, Fe2O3-nano powder was mixed with carbon by mechanical method. The effect of various carbons on the physical and electrochemical properties of both Fe2O3-nano-loaded carbon and Fe2O3-nano mixed carbon electrodes was investigated and compared using X-ray diffraction(XRD), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) along with X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), cyclic voltammetry(CV) and galvanostatic cycling performance.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) coupled with X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that Fe2O3-nanoparticles were distributed on the carbon surface for Fe2O3-nano-loaded carbon.This distribution is similar to that for Fe2O3-nano mixed carbon electrodes observed by SEM and EDS.The CV results indicated that the redox currents of the Fe2O3-nano-loaded carbon are larger than that of correspondence Fe2O3-nano mixed carbon.Such properties are expected to provide the larger capacity for Fe2O3-nano-loaded carbon electrode than Fe2O3-nano mixed carbon electrode.