An ultra-long life, high-performance, flexible Li–CO2 battery based on multifunctional carbon electrocatalysts

• DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.104595
• Publication Date: 2020-02-15T04:57:14Z
• Authors: Li Song; Chuangang Hu; Ying Xiao; Jianping He; Yi Lin; John W. Connell; Liming Dai
• Keywords: Organic radical battery

Abstract Integrating CO2 utilization and renewable energy delivery/storage, the rechargeable Li–CO2 battery has been considered as a promising candidate for next-generation secondary batteries. However, high-performance catalyst(s) for efficient formation and decomposition of the discharge product, Li2CO3, are an imperative part of a Li–CO2 battery. The development of flexible Li–CO2 batteries extends their applications into compliant and wearable devices/systems, but at the same time imposes a big challenge for battery fabrication and lifetime enhancement. In this study, a rechargeable quasi-solidus flexible Li–CO2 battery was designed and fabricated using highly active N,S-doped carbon nanotubes (N,S-doped CNTs) as the cathode catalyst, and a smart polymer gel as the flexible electrolyte. This newly-developed flexible Li–CO2 battery exhibited a capacity as high as 23560 mAh g−1 based on the catalyst mass and an ultra-long lifetime of up to 538 cycles with excellent mechanical flexibility. This work provides a platform for the design and development of high-performance flexible Li–CO2 batteries from low-cost, earth-abundant, carbon-based multifunctional cathode catalysts.