Discharge product morphology versus operating temperature in non-aqueous lithium-air batteries

Abstract

During the discharge process of non-aqueous lithium-air batteries, a solid product, Li2O2, forms in the pores of the porous cathode, and eventually causes the discharge process to cease. During the charge process, solid Li2O2 needs to be electrochemically oxidized. The morphology of the discharge product is, therefore, critically related to the capacity and reversibility of the battery. In this work, we experimentally show that for a given design of the cathode, the shape of the discharge product Li2O2 at a given discharge current density remains almost unchanged with a change in the operating temperature, but the size decreases with an increase in the temperature. We also demonstrate that the product shape varies with the discharge current density at a given temperature. The practical implication of these findings is that the capacity, charge voltage, and cyclability of a given non-aqueous lithium-air battery are affected by the operating temperature.