Issue 39, 2021

Electrospun ZIF-derived cavity porous carbon nanofibers as a freestanding cathode for lithium–oxygen batteries with ultralow overpotential

Abstract

Construction of an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with low overpotential and cycling stability for lithium–oxygen batteries still remains a puzzling challenge. Herein, we propose a scalable approach to integrate ZIF derivatives into cavity porous carbon nanofibers (CPCNFs) via an electrospinning technique and thermal treatment (Zn/CoNC@CPCNFs). The ultralong interconnected nanofiber matrix is beneficial, and the developed Zn/CoNC@CPCNFs catalyst with excellent flexibility can be utilized as a free-standing electrode based on an air-cathode. Moreover, this confinement strategy ensures the dispersion of Co-based species and abundant porosity structure, which contributes to the transport and adsorption of oxygen and exposes more Co–N coordination catalytic centers, as a result of a drastically ultralow voltage gap. Consequently, a cell based on a Zn/CoNC@CPCNF electrode presents remarkably decreased charge–discharge polarization (0.36 V), a high initial discharge capacity with an ultra-low overpotential of 0.59 V, and long-term cyclability with a cut-off capacity of 0.2 mA h cm−2 at 0.02 mA cm−2. We hope that our protocol will offer instruction for the design and application of oxygen electrocatalysts for energy conversion and storage.

Graphical abstract: Electrospun ZIF-derived cavity porous carbon nanofibers as a freestanding cathode for lithium–oxygen batteries with ultralow overpotential

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 jul 2021
Accepted
05 sep 2021
First published
06 sep 2021

Nanoscale, 2021,13, 16477-16486

Electrospun ZIF-derived cavity porous carbon nanofibers as a freestanding cathode for lithium–oxygen batteries with ultralow overpotential

L. Peng, X. Zhang, Y. Sun and C. Li, Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 16477 DOI: 10.1039/D1NR04850C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements