Brush-Like Cobalt Nitride Anchored Carbon Nanofiber Membrane: Current Collector-Catalyst Integrated Cathode for Long Cycle Li–O₂ Batteries

Abstract

To achieve a high reversibility and long cycle life for lithium-oxygen (Li-O) batteries, the irreversible formation of LiO, inevitable side reactions, and poor charge transport at the cathode interfaces should be overcome. Here, we report a rational design of air cathode using a cobalt nitride (CoN) functionalized carbon nanofiber (CNF) membrane as current collector-catalyst integrated air cathode. Brush-like CoN nanorods are uniformly anchored on conductive electrospun CNF papers via hydrothermal growth of Co(OH)F nanorods followed by nitridation step. CoN-decorated CNF (CoN/CNF) cathode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance with outstanding stability for over 177 cycles in Li-O cells. During cycling, metallic CoN nanorods provide sufficient accessible reaction sites as well as facile electron transport pathway throughout the continuously networked CNF. Furthermore, thin oxide layer (<10 nm) formed on the surface of CoN nanorods promote reversible formation/decomposition of film-type LiO, leading to significant reduction in overpotential gap (∼1.23 V at 700 mAh g). Moreover, pouch-type Li-air cells using CoN/CNF cathode stably operated in real air atmosphere even under 180° bending. The results demonstrate that the favorable formation/decomposition of reaction products and mediation of side reactions are hugely governed by the suitable surface chemistry and tailored structure of cathode materials, which are essential for real Li-air battery applications.

Transition‐Metal Oxynitride: A Facile Strategy for Improving Electrochemical Capacitor Storage

“…Furthermore, the characteristic peaks in the XRD spectra of TMONs (Figure a) are close to those in the XRD spectra of their corresponding oxides and nitrides. These results demonstrate that the crystal structure of the materials has negligibly changed after nitridation and provide the TMON materials that have similar crystal structure to their corresponding oxides and nitrides . In addition, typical strong peaks at ≈26° are observed in all XRD patterns (Figure ; Figure S5, Supporting Information) and correspond to the (002) facets of the CC.…”

Fabricating Ir/C Nanofiber Networks as Free‐Standing Air Cathodes for Rechargeable Li‐CO2 Batteries

“…Electrospinning has many advantages such as low cost, easy operation, high yield, and controllable parameters compared with other methods . Therefore, electrospinning was widely utilized to fabricate free‐standing cathodes for Li‐O 2 batteries with large discharge capacity and high cycling stability . Moreover, the direct use of free‐standing electrospun films as air cathodes can avoid the introduction of polymer binders, which would degrade during the discharging/charging process and severely impede the diffusion and transport of Li + , gases, and electrons …”

Clinical Applications of Carbon Nanomaterials in Diagnostics and Therapy

“…The larger width as well as carbon/polymer composite made during fabrication regulates the electrical conductivity properties that make CNFs attractive electrochemical applications. Primarily explored as a nanomaterial for electrodes in supercapacitors and batteries, CNFs can be exploited for the electrical conductivity toward improving biosensors …”