Making Li‐Air Batteries Rechargeable: Material Challenges

Abstract

A Li‐air battery could potentially provide three to five times higher energy density/specific energy than conventional batteries and, thus, enable the driving range of an electric vehicle to be comparable to gasoline vehicles. However, making Li‐air batteries rechargeable presents significant challenges, mostly related to the materials. Here, the key factors that influence the rechargeability of Li‐air batteries are discussed with a focus on nonaqueous systems. The status and materials challenges for nonaqueous rechargeable Li‐air batteries are reviewed. These include electrolytes, cathode (electrocatalysts), lithium metal anodes, and oxygen‐selective membranes (oxygen supply from air). A perspective for the future of rechargeable Li‐air batteries is provided.

Evaluating the performance of nanostructured materials as lithium-ion battery electrodes

“…A number of excellent review articles are available on such systems, to which the reader is referred. [522][523][524][525][526][527]. It is envisioned that Li-O2 and Li-S chemistries may challenge the dominancy of Li-ion batteries in the future; aqueous and non-aqueous Li-O2 designs, for example, could potentially offer up to ~3500 W h kg -1 , an approximately ten-fold increase based on today's LiCoO2/graphite Li-ion cells (~390 W h kg -1 ), while Li-S designs could offer in the region of 2570 W h kg -1 .…”

Porous AgPd–Pd Composite Nanotubes as Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for Lithium–Oxygen Batteries

“…[10][11][12][13][14] This porous 1D structure will be even more promising for increasing the catalytic activities toward the two key processes in lithium oxygen battery, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) (O 2 + 2Li + + 2e − → Li 2 O 2 ) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) (Li 2 O 2 → O 2 + 2Li + + 2e − ) by facilitating rapid O 2 diffusion and electrolyte accessibility, and providing more catalytic reaction sites for deposition of Li 2 O 2 . [15][16][17][18][19][20] More importantly, this 1D nanostructured catalyst may solve many of the inherent catalytic problems associated with stateof-the-art nanoparticulate catalysts. [21][22][23] The porous NTs are characterized by their uniquely anisotropic nature, which offers advantageous structural and electronic factors to the catalytic reduction of oxygen.…”

Binder-free nitrogen-doped carbon paper electrodes derived from polypyrrole/cellulose composite for Li–O2 batteries

“…The energy storage capacity, rate capacity, and cycle life are strongly determined by the materials and architecture of the O 2 electrode [8]. Carbonaceous materials have been employed as fillers to provide the cathode with porosity and electronic conductivity [9].…”