The generation of efficient, cheap and easily available water splitting catalysts, in particular for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is vital to the development of sustainable energy sources. Primary batteries, especially alkaline and Zn−C batteries, mostly end‐up in landfill due to their short lifespan which aggravates health and poses environmental threats. To address these issues, this work establishes a sustainable route for the generation of Manganese oxide (Mn₃O₄) from spent Zn−C batteries as a catalyst for the OER under alkaline conditions. A thermal transformation study is conducted here at 900 °C and 800 °C under controlled atmosphere to generate Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles from waste Zn−C batteries which are investigated as a potential OER catalyst. Mn₃O₄ particle synthesis was confirmed by XRD, Raman, FTIR, TEM and EDS analysis. The electrochemical performance demonstrated a low overpotential of 360 mV to reach 10 mA cm⁻² with a Tafel slope of 64 mV dec⁻¹ indicating good activity under alkaline conditions. Thus, the generation of Mn₃O₄ from a spent Zn−C battery that can be employed as a catalyst for the OER is a promising path not only for the effective extraction of resources from battery waste, but also for the exploitation of using extracted materials in advanced technology applications.

中文翻译：

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废Zn-C电池中衍生的氧化锰作为析氧反应的催化剂

高效，廉价和容易获得的水分解催化剂的产生，特别是对于氧释放反应（OER）的产生，对于可持续能源的发展至关重要。一次电池，尤其是碱性电池和Zn-C电池，由于使用寿命短而严重填埋，这会加重健康并对环境造成威胁。为了解决这些问题，这项工作为在碱性条件下从废Zn-C电池中生成氧化锰（Mn ₃ O ₄）作为OER的催化剂建立了一条可持续的途径。在受控气氛下于900°C和800°C进行热转化研究，生成Mn ₃ O ₄Zn-C废电池中的纳米颗粒被研究为潜在的OER催化剂。通过XRD，拉曼，FTIR，TEM和EDS分析证实了Mn ₃ O ₄颗粒的合成。电化学性能显示出低的360 mV过电位，达到10 mA cm ^-2，Tafel斜率为64 mV dec ^-1，表明在碱性条件下具有良好的活性。因此，从可用的Zn-C废电池中生成Mn ₃ O ₄可以用作OER的催化剂，这不仅是有效地从电池废料中提取资源的方法，而且对于利用提取出的废料进行开发的方法都是一条有希望的途径。材料在先进技术中的应用。