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Nano Research Energy 2023, 2: e9120055 https://doi.org/10.26599/NRE.2023.9120055
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 24 February 2023

Binder-free Li-O2 battery cathodes using Ni- and PtRu-coated vertically aligned carbon nanofibers as electrocatalysts for enhanced stability

Show Author's Information Syed Shoaib Hassan Zaidi1,  Sabari Rajendran2,  Archana Sekar2,  Ayyappan Elangovan2,  Jun Li2,  Xianglin Li1,3( )
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Keywords:
stability, cathodes, Ni, lithium oxygen battery, vertically aligned carbon nanofibers, PtRu
Cite this article:
Hassan Zaidi SS, Rajendran S, Sekar A, et al. Binder-free Li-O2 battery cathodes using Ni- and PtRu-coated vertically aligned carbon nanofibers as electrocatalysts for enhanced stability. Nano Research Energy, 2023, 2: e9120055. https://doi.org/10.26599/NRE.2023.9120055
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

The development of an ideal cathode for Li-O2 battery (LOB) has been a great challenge in achieving high discharge capacity, enhanced stability, and longevity. The formation of undesired and irreversible discharge products on the surface of current cathode materials limit the life span of the LOB. In this study, we report the systematic electrochemical study to compare the performance of LOB employing a unique graphitic nanostructured carbon architecture, i.e., vertically aligned carbon nanofiber (VACNF) arrays, as the cathode materials. Transition metal (Ni) and noble metal alloy (PtRu) are further deposited on the VACNF array as electrocatalysts to improve the discharge/charge processes at the cathode. The structure of as-prepared electrodes was examined with the field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The LOB with VACNF-Ni electrode delivered the highest specific and areal discharge capacities (14.92 Ah·g−1, 4.32 mAh·cm−2) at 0.1 mA·cm−2 current density as compared with VACNF-PtRu (9.07 Ah·g−1, 2.62 mAh·cm−2), bare VACNF (5.55 Ah·g−1, 1.60 mAh·cm−2) and commercial Vulcan XC (3.83 Ah·g−1, 1.91 mAh·cm−2). Cycling stability tests revealed the superior performance of VACNF-PtRu with 27 cycles as compared with VACNF-Ni (13 cycles), VACNF (8 cycles), and Vulcan XC (3 cycles). The superior cycling stability of VACNF-PtRu can be attributed to its ability to suppress the formation of Li2CO3 during the discharge cycle, as elucidated by XPS analysis of discharged samples. We also investigated the impact of carbon cloth and carbon fiber as cathode electrode substrate on the performance of LOB.


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About this article

Binder-free Li-O2 battery cathodes using Ni- and PtRu-coated vertically aligned carbon nanofibers as electrocatalysts for enhanced stability

Show Author's information Syed Shoaib Hassan Zaidi1, Sabari Rajendran2, Archana Sekar2, Ayyappan Elangovan2, Jun Li2, Xianglin Li1,3( )
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA

Abstract

The development of an ideal cathode for Li-O2 battery (LOB) has been a great challenge in achieving high discharge capacity, enhanced stability, and longevity. The formation of undesired and irreversible discharge products on the surface of current cathode materials limit the life span of the LOB. In this study, we report the systematic electrochemical study to compare the performance of LOB employing a unique graphitic nanostructured carbon architecture, i.e., vertically aligned carbon nanofiber (VACNF) arrays, as the cathode materials. Transition metal (Ni) and noble metal alloy (PtRu) are further deposited on the VACNF array as electrocatalysts to improve the discharge/charge processes at the cathode. The structure of as-prepared electrodes was examined with the field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The LOB with VACNF-Ni electrode delivered the highest specific and areal discharge capacities (14.92 Ah·g−1, 4.32 mAh·cm−2) at 0.1 mA·cm−2 current density as compared with VACNF-PtRu (9.07 Ah·g−1, 2.62 mAh·cm−2), bare VACNF (5.55 Ah·g−1, 1.60 mAh·cm−2) and commercial Vulcan XC (3.83 Ah·g−1, 1.91 mAh·cm−2). Cycling stability tests revealed the superior performance of VACNF-PtRu with 27 cycles as compared with VACNF-Ni (13 cycles), VACNF (8 cycles), and Vulcan XC (3 cycles). The superior cycling stability of VACNF-PtRu can be attributed to its ability to suppress the formation of Li2CO3 during the discharge cycle, as elucidated by XPS analysis of discharged samples. We also investigated the impact of carbon cloth and carbon fiber as cathode electrode substrate on the performance of LOB.

Keywords: stability, cathodes, Ni, lithium oxygen battery, vertically aligned carbon nanofibers, PtRu

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Received: 29 January 2023
Revised: 10 February 2023
Accepted: 11 February 2023
Published: 24 February 2023
Issue date: June 2023

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© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Tsinghua University Press.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

S. S. H. Z. and X. L. L. highly appreciate the support from the National Science Foundation (Nos. 1833048 and 1941083). The work by J. L.’s group is partially supported by the National Science Foundation under grant (No. CBET-2054754).

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