Robust Design of Dual-Phasic Carbon Cathode for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Abstract

Given that the performance of a lithium-oxygen battery (LOB) is determined by the electrochemical reactions occurring on the cathode, the development of advanced cathode nanoarchitectures is of great importance for the realization of high-energy-density, reversible LOBs. Herein, a robust cathode design is proposed for LOBs based on a dual-phasic carbon nanoarchitecture. The cathode is composed of an interwoven network of porous metal-organic framework (MOF) derived carbon (MOF-C) and conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The dual-phasic nanoarchitecture incorporates the advantages of both components: MOF-C provides a large surface area for the oxygen reactions and a large pore volume for Li2O2 storage, and CNTs provide facile pathways for electron and O-2 transport as well as additional void spaces for Li2O2 accommodation. It is demonstrated that the synergistic nanoarchitecturing of the dual-phasic MOF-C/CNT material results in promising electrochemical performance of LOBs, as evidenced by a high discharge capacity of approximate to 10 050 mAh g(-1) and a stable cycling performance over 75 cycles.