Logo image
Back
Porous Carbon Nanofibers Decorated with Cobalt Nanoparticles As Binder-Free Efficient Cathode for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries
Journal article

Porous Carbon Nanofibers Decorated with Cobalt Nanoparticles As Binder-Free Efficient Cathode for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Richa Singhal and Vibha Kalra
Meeting abstracts (Electrochemical Society), v MA2016-02(5), pp 861-861
01 Sep 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/MA2016-02/5/861

Abstract

Rechargeable lithium-oxygen (Li-O 2 ) batteries have received much attention because of their ultra-high theoretical energy density, about ten-times higher than that of current lithium-ion batteries.[1-4] However, the development of these batteries is still at its initial stage, owing to various technical challenges such as high overpotentials, low round-trip efficiency, poor rate capability, and low cycle life. Among various issues affecting Li-O 2 battery performance, the low performance of the oxygen cathode has been identified as the dominating factor.[5, 6] The development of efficient cathode with nano-architectures, large accessible surface area, and bifunctional catalytic activity is a great challenge for high-performance lithium-air batteries.[7] In the present study, binder-free high surface area porous carbon nanofibers modified with cobalt nanoparticles (Co-PCNF) are presented as efficient cathodes for Li-O 2 batteries. The macroporous inter-connected structure of carbon nanofibers with effective dispersion of cobalt nanoparticles serve as an efficient cathode with high electrocatalytic activity. Co-PCNF demonstrated much better performance as cathodes in Li-O 2 batteries, with high discharge capacity, rechargeability, and rate capability, compared to non-cobalt-carbon cathodes. Li-air cells with Co-PCNF as cathode exhibit a high initial discharge capacity of 8800 mAhg -1 at the current density of 100 mA g -1 , and can be recharged for more than 50 cycles with limited discharge capacity of 500 mAh g -1 . Moreover, the synergistic role of N-and F- doped carbon defects and cobalt nanoparticles leads to faster electronic transfer and stabilize carbon surface, enhancing the reversibility.   References: [1] M. Armand, J.M. Tarascon, Nature, 451 (2008) 652-657. [2] G. Girishkumar, B. McCloskey, A.C. Luntz, S. Swanson, W. Wilcke, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 1 (2010) 2193-2203. [3] P.G. Bruce, S.A. Freunberger, L.J. Hardwick, J.-M. Tarascon, Nat. Mater., 11 (2012) 172-172. [4] N. Imanishi, O. Yamamoto, Materials Today, 17 (2014) 24-30. [5] L. Mai, X. Tian, X. Xu, L. Chang, L. Xu, Chem. Rev., 114 (2014) 11828-11862. [6] Z. Ma, X. Yuan, L. Li, Z.-F. Ma, D.P. Wilkinson, L. Zhang, J. Zhang, Energy Environ. Sci., 8 (2015) 2144-2198. [7] J. Wang, Y. Li, X. Sun, Nano Energy, 2 (2013) 443-467.

Metrics

2 Record Views

Details

Logo image