Biomimetic Cathodes Applying Imprinted Carbon Paper with Vortex for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction of Lithium-Air Batteries

摘要

Energy storage devices require a high-performance battery and electric transportation with high energy density for applications. This suggests that lithium-air batteries (LABs) be regarded as acceptable candidates in such cases as they meet all those demands with a high energy density of 3505 Wh k(-1). However, the development of such batteries has been limited by their low rate performance and need of extra equipment for oxygen supply. Here, inspired by the principle of rapid oxygen supply by eddies in the ocean, a simple method of structural modification was implemented by using improved performance of LABs with vortex-enhanced carbon paper (VECP) that was used as a gas diffusion layer. VECP not only resulted in rapid oxygen flow, which accelerated the oxygen reduction reaction, but also could be generated in a facile manner by the imprinting process. For the battery using the VECP, the estimated volumetric energy density was 229% of the bare one at a current density of 500 mA g(-1).