Preparation of pyridine N-doped metal-free Li–O2 battery cathode by one-step

Abstract

Lithium-oxygen (Li–O2) batteries are an ideal energy storage device, but the problems of the cathode still hinder their development. In this work, a metal-free, binder-free and in situ pyridine N-doped cathode of Li–O2 batteries is synthesized in one step by electrospinning. Meanwhile, the effect of carbonization temperature on cathode is discussed in detail. The content of pyridine N in the cathode is the highest at the carbonization temperature of 700 °C, and it is also the most effective for the reversible formation and decomposition of Li2O2. In terms of Li–O2 batteries performance, when the charge and discharge current density is 100 mA g−1 and the discharge voltage is greater than 2 V, the discharge specific capacity and discharge capacity can reach 27900 mAh g−1 and 27.9 mAh respectively. In addition, when the limited specific capacity is 1000 mAh g−1, the batteries can work stably for 85 cycles under the same conditions. Therefore, the high-performance cathode which synthesized in one step by electrospinning is expected to promote the commercial application of Li–O2 batteries.