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Ni/Co Nanoparticles Supported on N-Doped Hollow Carbon Composites as High-Performance Catalysts for Rechargeable Li-O2 Battery

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Abstract

Lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries have become one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems due to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, Li-O2 batteries still face the problem of high charging voltage due to incomplete decomposition of discharge products. Here, a nitrogen-doped hollow spherical carbon composite containing Ni/Co nanoparticles was prepared by hydrothermal and pyrolysis strategies, and used as positive catalyst for Li-O2 batteries to adjust the morphology of the discharge product. The porous hollow carbon sphere provides sufficient space for the storage of discharge products. Nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres can change the local charge density, improve the electron transfer performance, and reduce the resistivity of carbon nanospheres. In addition, the abundant M-Nx active groups enhance the affinity of the positive electrode to the reaction intermediates, thus regulating the morphology of the discharge product Li2O2. Benefiting from the above synergistic advantages, the electrochemical performance of the Li-O2 battery including round-trip efficiency, discharge capacity, and cycling stability is greatly improved.

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Acknowledgments

This work is financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21170055 and 22271259), and the authors declare no conflict of interest.

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  1. Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, People’s Republic of China

    Huixia Gong, Liqin Wang, Jianshe Wang & Qingchao Liu

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Gong, H., Wang, L., Wang, J. et al. Ni/Co Nanoparticles Supported on N-Doped Hollow Carbon Composites as High-Performance Catalysts for Rechargeable Li-O2 Battery. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 6613–6624 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-023-10599-0

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