A Mo2C/Carbon Nanotube Composite Cathode for Lithium–Oxygen Batteries with High Energy Efficiency and Long Cycle Life

Although lithium–oxygen batteries are attracting considerable attention because of the potential for an extremely high energy density, their practical use has been restricted owing to a low energy efficiency and poor cycle life compared to lithium-ion batteries. Here we present a nanostructured cath...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS nano 2015-04, Vol.9 (4), p.4129
Main Authors: Kwak, Won-Jin, Lau, Kah Chun, Shin, Chang-Dae, Amine, Khalil, Curtiss, Larry A, Sun, Yang-Kook
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although lithium–oxygen batteries are attracting considerable attention because of the potential for an extremely high energy density, their practical use has been restricted owing to a low energy efficiency and poor cycle life compared to lithium-ion batteries. Here we present a nanostructured cathode based on molybdenum carbide nanoparticles (Mo2C) dispersed on carbon nanotubes, which dramatically increase the electrical efficiency up to 88% with a cycle life of more than 100 cycles. We found that the Mo2C nanoparticle catalysts contribute to the formation of well-dispersed lithium peroxide nanolayers (Li2O2) on the Mo2C/carbon nanotubes with a large contact area during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This Li2O2 structure can be decomposed at low potential upon the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by avoiding the energy loss associated with the decomposition of the typical Li2O2 discharge products.
ISSN:1936-0851
1936-086X
DOI:10.1021/acsnano.5b00267