A free standing Ru-TiC nanowire array/carbon textile cathode with enhanced stability for Li-O2 batteries

Chenjuan Liu, Zhen Qiu, Willian R. Brant, Reza Younesi, Yue Ma, Kristina Edström, Torbjörn Gustafsson, Jiefang Zhu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The instability of carbon cathode materials is one of the key problems that hinder the development of lithium-air/lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries. In this contribution, a type of TiC-based cathode is developed as a suitable alternative to carbon based cathodes, and its stability with respect to its surface properties is investigated. Here, a free-standing TiC nanowire array cathode was in situ grown on a carbon textile, covering its exposed surface. The TiC nanowire array, via deposition with Ru nanoparticles, showed enhanced oxygen reduction/evolution activity and cyclability, compared to the one without Ru modification. The battery performance of the Li-O2 cells with Ru-TiC was investigated by using in operando synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction (SR-PXD) during a full cycle. With the aid of surface analysis, the role of the cathode substrate and surface modification is demonstrated. The presented results are a further step toward a wise design of stable cathodes for Li-O2 batteries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)23659-23668
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry A
Volume6
Issue number46
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

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